Two weeks ago, the Prime Minister asked Indians to delay wedding gold purchases and work from home to save fuel. On Sunday in Delhi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced India had committed to buying $500 billion in American goods — the February trade deal that New Delhi hasn’t confirmed. Same government. Same fortnight.
The Rubio 500 Billion India Trade Deal — Without India’s Signature
Marco Rubio’s claim — $500 billion across five years, weighted toward energy — India told to buy American oil, technology, and agriculture — landed without an Indian co-signature. New Delhi hasn’t publicly confirmed the figure. A Washington fact sheet quietly softened “commitment” to India “intends to purchase.” A trade advocacy group flagged that the deal’s underpinnings are “showing signs of strain.”
Which makes the next part awkward.
What Modi Was Saying Three Weeks Ago
On May 11, the PM appealed to citizens to cut fuel use, avoid foreign travel, postpone gold buys — including the wedding kind — days before gold import duty to 15% was quietly doubled — and work from home. The reason was the Iran war and the rupee touching 95. The government later clarified it was “voluntary.”
So citizens conserve dollars. Government commits half a trillion of them. Congress’s Jairam Ramesh did the math out loud and called the PM “compromised” for “appeasing” his “good friend” in Washington — the sharpest Congress attack yet on the Rubio 500 billion India trade deal and Modi’s handling of it.
What Else Got Raised at the Same Meeting
Jaishankar didn’t only talk trade. He raised the H-1B crisis — visa interview dates at all five US consulates pushed to 2027. Rubio’s reply: the measures were “not targeted at India.”
That sentence is the whole story. India is being asked to buy American energy because Hormuz is broken, accept softer “intends” language on $500 billion, and watch its IT workforce locked out of US consulates — while being told none of it is personal.
The austerity appeal told Indians to sacrifice for the rupee. Rubio’s announcement told them what they’re sacrificing for. The government hasn’t decided which version it’s defending.