Indo-US deal 'wholesale surrender': Rahul vs govt in LS

Rahul Gandhi said that had an INDIA Bloc government negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told US President Donald Trump that he should treat India as an equal.

In a no-holds-barred attack on the Modi government, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the India-United States interim trade deal was a 'wholesale surrender', with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised.

Participating in the debate on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha, Gandhi claimed that Indian interests had been 'surrendered' under the trade deal to protect the Bharatiya Janata Party's financial architecture.

Slamming the Indo-US deal, Gandhi drew an analogy of how in martial arts after securing a grip, the next step is a chokehold, and then the opponent taps to give up.

The Congress leader noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had stated some time back that the era of war was over.

"In fact, we are moving into the era of war. War is there in Ukraine, war was there in Gaza, war is there in the Middle East, threat of war is there in Iran, and we had Operation Sindoor.

"We are moving into a dangerous world. We have to understand our strengths, and the central strength of our country is our people," he pointed out.

Gandhi underlined the need to protect the country's people, data, food supply and energy system.

Had an Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) government negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told President Donald Trump that he should treat India as an equal, Gandhi said.

"The first thing we would say (to Trump) is that the most important asset in this equation is Indian data. If the US wants to protect the dollar, it must recognise that Indian data is the biggest asset.

"Second, we would say to President Trump that 'if you want access to it, you will talk to us as an equal, not as if we are your servants'," Gandhi said.

He added that an INDIA bloc government would have told Trump that India's energy security was non-negotiable and 'we are going to protect it'.

"The third thing we would have told President Trump is 'we understand you have an agricultural voter base, you need to protect farmers, but we will also protect our farmers'," the former Congress chief said.

"An INDIA bloc government would say that data is our biggest strength, and now let us talk. We would go there (for negotiating) as an equal. We will not be made equal to Pakistan. If President Trump decides that the Pakistan Army chief will have breakfast with him, we will have something to say about it," he said.

The LoP claimed that India's energy security was gone under the India-US interim trade deal, and the US will decide 'who we buy oil from'.

"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," Gandhi said.

In a scathing attack on the government, Gandhi said it talks of energy and financial weaponisation, and yet it has allowed the Americans to weaponise 'our finance and our energy against us'.

"How can you come to this House and defend this? Are you not ashamed of what you are giving away?" Gandhi said, slamming the treasury benches.

The MPs from the treasury benches repeatedly got up and accused Gandhi of making 'baseless' allegations and asked him to authenticate his claims, to which he responded that he was willing to comply and authenticate.

Rahul's banter with Pal

Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the proceedings in the House, asked Gandhi not to name and make allegations against those who are not present in the House.

In light-hearted banter, Gandhi said he would not be very aggressive as former party colleague Pal was in the presiding officer's chair, with Pal saying that had the Congress leader heeded his advice in the past, he would not be sitting on opposition benches.

"If any subject is not related to the budget, you cannot raise that. You were on the right track. Why are you getting derailed?" Pal asked the leader of opposition.

Responding to Pal, Gandhi said, "We have fondness for you, you are an ex-member of our party, so I will not go very aggressive today."

"I know your heart is not there (in the BJP), sir," Gandhi said to Pal.

Continuing with the banter, Pal said, "I am here as a presiding officer. But if you would have heeded my advice, then you would not have been seated there (on the opposition benches). You are sitting there only because you had not taken my advice."

"Here, I am advising you, you should move on the correct track. Still you have time, you can move on the correct track," Pal said.

Gandhi said in the spirit of their conversation, he would not take the names Pal did not want him to mention.

Pal, who was elected as a Congress MP in the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 and re-entered the Lower House from Uttar Pradesh's Domariyaganj.

He was subsequently re-elected on a BJP ticket in 2019 and 2024.

Rahul raises Epstein Files issue

Speaking with reporters outside the new Parliament building, Gandhi claimed that the names of Union minister Hardeep Puri and businessman Anil Ambani figured in the 'Epstein Files' released in the US.

He also said that summons have been issued in the 'ongoing case against Adani', and the Indian government has not responded to them for the past 18 months.

"There is direct pressure on PM Modi. Without any pressure, no prime minister of India would ever compromise on matters concerning the country's farmers, data, energy security, and defence. No one would do this unless there is heavy pressure and a chokehold over them," Gandhi told reporters.

In a post in Hindi on X, the Congress leader said, 'India-US Trade Deal has mortgaged the future of 140 crore Indians. Youths' jobs are at stake, farmers' crops are on the negotiating table, and energy security is being surrendered to the terms of a foreign country.'

'No prime minister surrenders like this without massive pressure. India understands -- this deal is not one of equals, it is one of compulsion.

'Whether from the Epstein files or the Adani Case - Modi ji has sacrificed national interest in his bid to save power,' Gandhi posted.

In his address inside the Lok Sabha, Gandhi claimed that through this deal, the interests of farmers have been 'compromised', textiles have been 'wiped out', and energy security has been 'handed over' to the US.

"This is a wholesale surrender," he alleged.

There has been a surrender to 'protect the BJP's financial architecture on which there is a case in the US', Gandhi claimed.

"We are heading into turbulent times, and the nation has been sold out. Its data has been sold out, its farmers have been sold out, all our software engineers have been sold out, small and medium businesses have been sold out, and our forces and energy security have been sold out," Gandhi alleged.

Criticising the Indo-US deal, he claimed that the Modi government has given up control over digital trade rules, removed data localisation, allowed free flow of data to the US, limited digital tax and waived source code disclosure, while offering 20-year tax holidays to big tech companies.

On tariffs, at the beginning, there was a 3 per cent average, but it has now gone up to 18 per cent, Gandhi said.

US imports would go up from $46 billion to $146 billion, he claimed, adding that this was "absurd".

"While our tariff has gone up from 3 per cent to 18 per cent, theirs has come down from 16 to zero," he said.

"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. It is disgraceful, and no prime minister before you has done this or will ever do this after you," Gandhi said.