Why is 'India's friend' talking of retaliation?, asks Asaduddin Owaisi after India allows drug export to US

Hyderabad: All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi have renewed his tirade against the government for allegedly relaxing the export norms for Hydroxychloroquine.

In his latest tweet on Tuesday, the AIMIM strongman took a potshot at the much-vaunted friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Owaisi's stated sarcastically in his tweet directed at the Prime Minister, "Howdy @PMOIndia! This is not very long ago. Why is 'India's friend in the White House' talking of retaliation? Will you tolerate this insult to Bharat?"

On Monday, India had announced a partial relaxation on the export of different pharmaceutical formulations on a need-to basis. Coming on the back of Trump's purported threat to retaliate if India did not supply hydroxychloroquine to the US, the government's announcement on exports relaxation has not gone down well with many in the opposition, including Owaisi.

On March 25, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had put a freeze on exports of Hydroxychloroquine, with a provision for case-by-case exemptions on humanitarian grounds. The DGFT had announced partial exemptions on Monday.

Hydroxychloroquine is a pharmaceutical compound used in treating malaria and is currently in demand for its reported efficacy in preventing and treating many cases of coronavirus. The drug has been in particular demand in the US following a massive outbreak of coronavirus there.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, India's External Affairs Ministry stepped in to clarify that the partial relaxation has been done on humanitarian grounds.