Rahul Gandhi calls India-US trade deal a ‘wholesale surrender’ in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mounted a trenchant critique of the India-US interim trade deal, dubbing it a “wholesale surrender” by the Modi government that jeopardises India’s strategic needs and compromises interest of its farmers.

Accusing the government of “surrendering” the interests of Indian farmers, the textile industry, and the energy sector, Gandhi called the change in trade volume with the US from $46 billion to $146 billion “absolutely absurd”. The Leader of Opposition finally participated in the Lok Sabha in the Budget discussions, after several run-ins with the government

“This is a wholesale surrender. It is a tragedy because he has surrendered the future (of Indians) because he wants to protect the BJP's financial architecture, on which there is a case in the United States,” Gandhi alleged, leading to an uproar from the treasury benches.

During his address, Gandhi was stopped by Speaker Jagdambika Pal and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who objected to some of the content on what he said. Gandhi linked some ministers of the Modi Cabinet to the Epstein Files, prompting the chair and Rijiju to ask for authentication. While Gandhi offered to authenticate them, the Speaker asked him to follow procedures.

Calling the 1.4 billion people of India and the data pool it presents its biggest asset, Gandhi said that this should be part of the negotiating table. “If we, the INDIA Alliance, were negotiating with the US, we will tell the Americans that if they want to remain a superpower, the key is Indian data. We will tell President Trump that if you want to access that, then talk to us as equals and not as servants,” Gandhi said. “We will go there as equals; we will not be made equal to Pakistan.”

Accusing the government of giving up control over our digital trade routes, Gandhi said data is our most valuable asset. “There is no deed for localisation. Free data flow to the United States. Limit on digital tax. No need to disclose any source code. Twenty year free tax holiday,” Gandhi said, detailing the contours of the trade deal’s segment on data.

Gandhi said that the textile sector, the energy sector, and farmers of certain crops will be severely affected by the trade deal. “Textile businesses in India will compete with Bangladesh who will have zero tariffs. In the energy sector, the US will dictate that we cannot buy oil from Russia or Iran, and they will monitor it,” Gandhi said.

For farmers sowing makka (corn), soya bean, red cotton and jowar (millets), you have opened the doors to mechanised farming, Gandhi said. “It is disgraceful,” he added.

The Economic Survey, the LoP said, recognises that the world is headed to an  “intensifying geopolitical conflict” and that the US-based unipolar system is challenged by Russia and China. “Second, we are living in a world of energy and finance weaponisation,” Gandhi said. “Curiously, the Budget recognises that we are headed into dangerous times, the dollar is at an all-time low, gold and silver prices are rising, but there is nothing in the Budget that looks into these issues.”