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NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP over the framework of the India–US trade deal, alleging that the Centre has “sold out the country.”
In a video message responding to the BJP’s criticism of the Indian Youth Congress protest at the AI Impact Summit, Gandhi termed the trade deal framework “shameful.” He accused the government of compromising national interests and said the agreement had harmed farmers and key sectors such as textiles.
“Modi ji, do you talk about shame? Let me tell you what shame is… The trade deal you’ve made with America, in which you’ve sold out the country—this is shameful. You’ve handed over our country’s data. You’ve wiped out the farmers. You’ve ruined the textile industry—this is shameful,” Gandhi said.
Backing party workers who protested the agreement, he asserted that the Congress would not “retreat even an inch.” He also referred to legal proceedings in the United States involving industrialist Gautam Adani, alleging that the issue has unsettled the ruling dispensation.
The Congress has been critical of the India–US trade deal framework, under which India agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on US industrial goods and several agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits, among others.
As part of the framework, Washington had announced 18 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Subsequently, the US Supreme Court ruled against tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. However, US President Donald Trump later announced a revised global tariff rate of 15 per cent, effective immediately.
Meanwhile, members of the Indian Youth Congress staged a protest at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the AI Impact India Summit in New Delhi, removing their shirts bearing slogans reading “Compromised PM” as a mark of dissent against the trade deal. Seven Youth Congress leaders were later arrested in connection with the protest.(Agencies)
