Reminding that it was Canada and not India which had halted negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA), Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that Canada's decision is driven by misinformation and they stand to lose out more as India is the bigger economy.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Goyal said that the FTA talks with the United Kingdom (UK) are proceeding well and any decision which will be taken will keep national interest as paramount.
Pointing to undiminishing enthusiasm about India noted in his recent visits to Japan and Saudi Arabia, he said that the only complaints he got were about India's inability to give ample time to speed up FTA negotiations and the shortage of investment opportunities. Terming India the world's preferred investment destination, he said that Hewlett-Packard and Apple have praised the Indian government's work in the electronics sector.
Expressing confidence over BJP's fortunes in the upcoming assembly elections in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he said that no amount of freebies or "revdis" offered by the opposition can match houses worth ₹2 lakh, digital connectivity, roads, water connections and cooking gas provided under several central government schemes.
Inviting all Indians to the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya in January 2024, he said that people in the opposition who had questioned Ram Setu, given orders for firing at Kar Sewaks or questioned the Ram Janmabhoomi have also started believing in Lord Ram now. Expressing happiness over the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said that the BJP has never used the issue for elections, accusing Congress leaders of resorting to all sorts of ways to oppose the Ram temple. He assured that delimitation never leads to a huge growth in vote share or seats for any particular party, calling such reports as misinformation spread by opposition leaders to scare voters.
Also Read: India-Canada row: Trudeau's Khalistan statements sparked open conversations in India, says Pannun
(Edited by : Pihu Yadav)
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