Goa, Jan. 10 -- India on Friday firmly rejected US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's claim that a bilateral trade deal failed to materialise last year because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call President Donald Trump. New Delhi clarified that it remains keen on concluding a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement with Washington.

Responding to Lutnick's remarks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the characterisation of the negotiations was "not accurate". He noted that India and the US have been close to finalising a deal on several occasions during multiple rounds of talks, held in line with the understanding reached during a Modi-Trump meeting in Washington in February last year.

Jaiswal als...