'US protectionist move may lead to countermove by India'

BANGALORE: IT industry body NASSCOM on Tuesday said any protectionist move by the US that adversely impacts the domestic outsourcing industry might trigger retaliatory measures by India.

"This war could get started off. If there is any protectionist move in the US, it could lead to India coming out with counter protectionist measure," NASSCOM President Som Mittal told reporters here.

"So, for us, it's important that we are sensitive during this period," he said.

Mittal said no US lawmaker would oppose any legislation aimed at saving American jobs.

He, however, also said that "there are enough people within the system" in the US and the UK who believe that once any protectionist measure is taken, "it does not stop there".

He noted that India has opened up its market. "Today, we are one of the largest buyers of defence planes," he said without elaborating.

NASSCOM, he said, is putting forward a perspective that that Indian outsourcing companies are "part of the solution and not the problem".