BJP to raise outsourcing with Obama

NEW DELHI: When US President Barack Obama visits India next week, he is likely to face concerns about outsourcing curbs not just from the government but also the Opposition. Fearing the fallout on India of the US adopting an “over protectionist” approach, BJP is planning to take up Washington’s outsourcing policy when Mr Obama meets leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj during his visit.

Ahead of the presidential visit, BJP’s parliamentary board will meet to formalise the political and economic concerns in New Delhi’s ties with Washington to be taken up during the presidential visit.

The US president’s opposition to outsourcing by American companies is cause for concern for the resilient IT industry in BJP-ruled Karnataka. BJP had attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his “silence” on the matter and been critical of Mr Obama’s approach saying Washington opposed the free trade order when it impinged on its own interests. This, according to the party, will hit multilateral trade.

Two US laws — one which has doubled visa fees and a ban by Ohio on outsourcing of IT work — were bad news for India’s outsourcing industry. BJP, however, will not take up issues on which its views are contrary to that of the Manmohan Singh government during the presidential visit.

BJP also expects some answers from the US on the global war against terror in the light of the revelations made by David Headley on ISI links to the Mumbai attack. BJP is of the view that Washington cannot apply different set of rules towards Pakistan in its policy on terror. There are apprehensions that the US strategy on Af-Pak could dictate Washington’s tactics on Pakistan’s eastern border.

The Left, which will hold its ritualistic anti-US protests during the visit, in its wish list has said that Washington should “stop pressuring” India to open up agriculture, retail trade, education and other services to American capital and multinational companies.