India hires lobbyist firm to improve relations with US

After Donald Trump returned to power, the distance between India and the US has been increasing. Trump has recently imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian products. Delhi has been facing such punishment for importing fuel from Russia. Moreover, all discussions on tariffs have also been suspended. This time, India has hired an American lobbyist firm to improve relations. According to documents obtained from the US Department of Justice, India will pay Mercury Public Affairs 9 million rupees per month for this work. Suzy Wiles, the current Chief of Staff of the Trump administration, once worked for this firm. Mercury Public Affairs has offices in about 14 places in the US. And they have more than 550 clients worldwide. Such efforts by India to improve relations with the US are not new. Apart from Mercury, Delhi has an agreement with SHW Partners. For this, they have to pay about 20 million rupees every month. Besides, India spends about 6 million rupees every month on another lobbyist firm called BGR Partners. Its arch-rival Pakistan is not far behind India in hiring lobbyists. Pakistan spends a huge amount of money every month on strategic communication with the United States.