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Piyush Goyal slams Indian industry for “weakness” in trade talks, calls out double standards on free markets
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal rebuked Indian manufacturers for demanding global market access while resisting even minor import competition at home, calling it a sign of “weakness.”
Commerce minister Piyush Goyal issued a sharp rebuke to domestic industry, accusing manufacturers of espousing free trade abroad while resisting even modest competition at home.
Speaking at an industry gathering, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said he was “very disappointed” by what he described as the “weakness” of certain business lobbies during trade negotiations. Even small openings for imports, he argued, provoke outsized backlash from local players.
“It’s another matter that your industry sometimes demonstrates so much weakness that even giving you a minor quota of one or two, three percent of our consumption in India, you’ll make a big fuss and you will cry about it. And I feel very disappointed when that happens,” Goyal said.
The minister suggested such reactions undermine the country’s credibility as it pushes for broader access to foreign markets.
“It shows you in very poor light, it shows weakness,” he added. “When I try to understand how two or three percent imports hurt 100% of your domestic market demand or pricing, I’m given very ridiculous responses.”
Our Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is absolutely right. We can’t demand open access to global markets while hiding behind tariff walls at home. Competitiveness comes from exposure and courage, not protection. Time for Indian industry to drop the crutches and start running. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/SzP2oGQ3c1
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) October 16, 2025
The comments come as the government intensifies negotiations on Free Trade Agreements with the United States, the European Union and other major economies. Goyal warned that industry cannot cherry-pick the benefits of globalization.
“Ultimately, when we have to do FTAs, we will need support from all sectors,” he said. “It cannot be that we want open markets everywhere but our industry is left out when you open up the Indian market. That can’t work.”
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