Former Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi took center stage at Washington’s Hudson Institute New India Conference, raising alarms about US-India trade talks and advocating forcefully for women’s political empowerment in India.
Delivering a candid critique, she slammed the tariff negotiations as one-sided, with US-imposed duties climbing to 18 percent. ‘We were negotiating a tariff forced on us,’ she said, casting doubt on the $500 billion trade goal. Indian agriculture, especially dairy farmers, stands vulnerable, she warned.
On energy, Chaturvedi defended India’s import choices amid external pressures. ‘Our energy security is our decision,’ she declared, rooted in national priorities.
Praising the enduring US-India partnership built on trust, she nonetheless advised against diplomatic tantrums. ‘Don’t show tantrums or tell us what to do—understand our realities,’ she told her American audience.
Turning inward, Chaturvedi spotlighted the glaring gap in women’s parliamentary representation. Women form 50 percent of voters yet occupy only 13-14 percent of seats—a disparity persisting despite three decades of advocacy for reservations.
The stalled 33 percent quota bill drew her ire, as she called for implementation without tying it to broader overhauls. ‘Strengthen democracy by expanding representation now,’ she insisted.
Her speech wove trade tensions with gender justice, highlighting India’s global equity efforts from vaccine sharing to trade forums. Chaturvedi’s dual critique signals rising expectations for balanced bilateral relations and internal reforms.
