New Delhi, Oct 21 (ANI-based reports): Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo on Wednesday questioned the Centre over the India-US trade deal, alleging that details of the negotiations were being shared by visiting US officials rather than by the Indian government. In a post on X, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inform Parliament about the terms of the agreement before signing it.

"Good news, India. Our trade deal is almost done. How do we know? Not from Parliament. Not from our own govt. We heard it from a visiting American Secretary of State at a press conference in Mumbai," Singh Deo wrote, according to ANI. He also pointed to updates shared on the American side about India's crude oil purchases and defence procurement, and remarked: "Very thorough briefing. Our govt could take notes."

Singh Deo argued that a trade agreement has direct implications for farmers, small manufacturers and households. "At this rate the next Budget may be announced at a US press briefing, with our Finance Minister invited as a special guest. A trade deal decides the price farmers get for their crops, the margin of a small manufacturer and the cost of fuel for every family. These are not details a nation should learn from a foreign minister's travel diary. Will the Prime Minister tell Parliament what India is giving and what it is getting before he signs?" he wrote. These are the Congress leader's stated views; no government response to his remarks was reported.

His comments came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his October 20-21 visit to India, said in Mumbai that the two countries are "very, very close" to concluding the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement, with only a small number of items left to wrap up. Speaking to Network18, Rubio said he expected the agreement to materialise "in a matter of weeks, not months", while stressing that every detail must be agreed precisely before any announcement. US President Donald Trump also told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the two sides are "pretty close" and that it could be "a much different kind of deal". No deal has been signed and no date has been announced.

Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reviewed the full range of India-US ties in Mumbai, including trade, defence, technology and energy, and reaffirmed their commitment to an early conclusion of the trade agreement, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has earlier said the first tranche of the deal is in its final contours and legal-drafting stage.

Sources: ANI via LatestLY, ANI via Daily Prabhat, Livemint.