Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of having “sold Bharat Mata” through the India–US interim trade deal, calling it a “wholesale surrender” that compromises India’s energy security, farmers and digital sovereignty.
Participating in the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi alleged that the agreement effectively hands over control of India’s energy decisions to the United States and weakens protections for domestic agriculture and small businesses.
“I am saying you have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata. Do you have no shame?” Gandhi said, drawing protests from treasury benches.
He claimed that under the deal, “They will decide who we buy oil from, our PM will not decide. They will monitor, and if India buys oil (from where they don't want us to), they will punish us and take tariffs to 50 per cent.”
Describing the agreement as unprecedented, Gandhi said, “I do not believe any Indian PM, including Modi, would sign such a deal unless there is a chokehold on him.” Using a martial arts analogy, he alleged that once a grip tightens into a chokehold, the opponent is forced to tap out.
Also read: Rahul targets Centre over India-US trade deal
Gandhi argued that an INDIA bloc government would have negotiated differently. “If the US wants to protect the dollar, it must recognise that Indian data is the biggest asset,” he said, adding that any negotiations would have been conducted “as an equal, not talk to us as if we are your servants.”
He further alleged that the government has ceded control over digital trade rules, removed data localisation requirements, allowed free flow of data to the US, limited digital taxes and waived source code disclosure while offering “20-year tax holidays to big tech companies”.
On tariffs, Gandhi claimed India’s average tariff has risen from 3 per cent to 18 per cent, while US tariffs on Indian goods have dropped from 16 per cent to zero. He said US imports could rise from USD 46 billion to USD 146 billion, calling the arrangement “absurd”.
“For the first time in Indian history, our farmers are facing a storm. You have opened the door to mechanised American farms spanning thousands of acres, effectively crushing our small farmers,” he said.
Treasury bench MPs accused Gandhi of making “baseless” allegations and demanded authentication of his claims, to which he responded that he was willing to comply.
Calling the agreement a “tragedy”, Gandhi alleged that the government had “surrendered the future of 1.5 billion Indians” at a time when the world was entering a “dangerous” and turbulent phase.
Govt to move privilege motion against Rahul
Following his remarks, the government indicated it would move a privilege motion against the Leader of Opposition, alleging that his statements against the Prime Minister and the Petroleum Minister were “baseless”. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asked Gandhi to authenticate his claims by 5 pm, failing which a breach of privilege motion would be pursued.
Under parliamentary procedure, a privilege motion pertains to an alleged breach of the rights or immunities of Members or the House. If admitted, the matter may be referred to the Privileges Committee for investigation and recommendation.
Met Epstein 3-4 times as part of IPI delegation: Puri hits back at Rahul
Responding to Gandhi, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri rejected the Congress leader's allegations linking him to the Epstein Files, stating that he met the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein only “three or at max four times” as part of an International Peace Institute (IPI) delegation.
Addressing a press conference shortly after Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Lok Sabha, Puri said his interactions with Epstein were limited and strictly professional. “My boss at IPI, Terje Rod-Larsen, knew Epstein and I met him only on a few occasions, 3 or at max 4 times to be precise, as part of a delegation. Our interactions had nothing to do (with the crimes he is accused of),” he said.
The minister maintained that the details were already in the public domain, noting that the US Department of Justice had released over three million documents related to the case. “In eight years, there are just two references and one email exchange,” he said, adding that he had no connection with Epstein’s criminal activities.
Referring to an email exchange, Puri said he had written about India’s growing internet economy and insisted, “Rahul should read the emails.”
Rahul Gandhi had earlier claimed in the Lok Sabha that Puri’s name figured in the Epstein Files, which document the financier’s alleged criminal network.
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