WASHINGTON: With no India-US trade deal likely, US officials are beginning to wonder why the Indian government didn’t walk the extra mile to make it happen in time for President Donald Trump ’s two-day visit to India on February 24-25.The government has a reputation for being decisive and the PMO is the centre of power, they noted. The Modi government enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act ( CAA ) swiftly and ordered demonetisation in record time, both of which were far bigger propositions.Frustration, accumulated over two years of negotiations, is turning into deep dismay at what some are calling the great Indian stalling game. There is a sense that New Delhi was more interested in getting a presidential visit than in hammering out a trade deal.An industry source said organisers were having a tough time getting American CEOs to go to Delhi for the business event planned for Trump. ‘The interest is low,’ he said, but efforts are underway.Trump has reportedly been briefed about the status of trade negotiations. Some officials wonder whether Modi is getting a ‘true picture’.An administration official said a failure to firm up a trade deal in time for the visit would be ‘bad, very bad’. Another called it a ‘setback’. The disappointment is feeding into the narrative that India is not serious about trade, while Bangladesh is doing a better job of getting into global supply chains.But there are two sides to the story. Indian sources say that US domestic politics may have entered the picture with Washington trying to push products that would help farmers and manufacturers in ‘swing states’ with an eye on the US 2020 presidential election. New items were suddenly being promoted.The US also took steps before the Trump visit that can hardly be considered friendly. It declared India a ‘developed’ country last week, making it ineligible for preferential treatment in certain global trade practices.When asked about the timing of the US decision, a US insider agreed it would have been better to wait until after Trump’s visit. But he said it was long in the works and not aimed solely at India. That’s hardly solace to New Delhi because that’s a standard US explanation for all punitive measures taken by the Trump administration.Indian officials say India has relented on several issues and there is agreement on most things on the table – medical devices, chicken legs, dairy and agricultural products. India also agreed to import $6.5 billion worth of US goods in exchange for restoration of Generalised System of Preference (GSP) privileges. The idea was to increase imports of US oil and gas, but that didn’t work because US officials wanted to dictate how India should spend the $6.5 billion.A major problem during the endless negotiations has been the relative power of negotiators. While US negotiators are fully empowered to speak for the US administration, Indian counterparts apparently are not. Things have got delayed several times because certain aspects had to be cleared by multiple ministries, adding to the US frustration, American officials said.