The diplomatic row erupted after Pitfield's remarks during a consultation meeting on Tuesday, where she criticized India's rice procurement program at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), alleging that it was being utilized not for the benefit of Indian citizens but to gain an edge in the global export market.

During the conference, South East Asian nations, Comoros, and Timor-Leste officially joined the WTO. Goyal emphasized Prime Minister Modi's advocacy for their inclusion, saying, "PM Modi urged that both countries should get a place in the WTO. We are pleased that both countries got inducted."

As per estimates, the move will help reduce services trade costs by 10 per cent for lower-middle income economies and 14 per cent for upper-middle income economies, with overall savings of USD 127 billion. Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, the UK and US are part of the initiative.

The four-day conference, which commenced on February 26, has become a platform for contentious discussions regarding the inclusion of non-trade issues within the WTO framework. An official representing India stated, "India believes that the WTO should deal with issues related to trade and this is a non-trade issue and India is against bringing this into the WTO framework."

Okonjo-Iweala's remarks inadvertently confirmed widespread speculation surrounding Goyal's potential candidacy for a Mumbai Lok Sabha seat, his hometown. Although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has yet to disclose its electoral strategy, several ministers, including Labour and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, are reportedly preparing for electoral contests.

The looming U.S. presidential elections add further pressure on the WTO to make progress on reform. Diplomatic sources suggest that the current meeting represents the last opportunity before the elections, highlighting the need to address longstanding issues.