Rahul Gandhi says Modi govt cheating cotton farmers; Goyal calls him 'immature'

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the Modi government is cheating India's cotton farmers and textile exporters through the India-US trade deal by "spreading confusion".

In a post on 'X', he said he had raised the issue of 18% tariff on Indian garments in the Parliament, when Bangladesh has got a no tariff benefit from the US and the reply from a minister was that India will have to import cotton from America if we also want the same benefit.

"18% Tariff vs 0% -- Let me explain how the expert liar Prime Minister and his cabinet are spreading confusion on this issue. And how they are cheating India’s cotton farmers and textile exporters through the India–US trade deal. Bangladesh is being given 0% tariff benefit on garment exports to the US -- the only condition is that they import American cotton," he said.

Asking why it was "hidden from the country till now" that India can get the benefit only if it imported American cotton, he said, "and what kind of policy is this? Is this really any kind of choice — or is it a trap designed to push us into a 'well in front, ditch behind' situation? If we import American cotton, our own farmers will be ruined. If we don’t import it, our textile industry will lag behind and get destroyed."

He said Bangladesh is now giving signals that it may reduce or even stop importing cotton from India.

"The textile industry and cotton farming are the backbone of livelihood in India. Crores of people’s daily bread depend on these very sectors. Attacking these sectors means pushing millions of families into the pit of unemployment and economic crisis. A visionary government that thinks in the national interest would have negotiated a deal that protects and ensures the prosperity of both cotton farmers and textile exporters," he said.

"But exactly the opposite has happened -- Narendra 'Surrender' Modi and his ministers have made an agreement that is likely to inflict deep damage on both sectors," he added.

In Mumbai, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal claimed that Rahul is "immature" and lacks understanding of the economy. Rahul is "thousand miles away from the truth" and asserted "discredited leaders" like him may try but would not be able to stop Prime Minister Modi and his service to the nation, he said.

"Rahul Gandhi does not have any understanding of the economy, only tweeting false and misleading information on social media. He is thousands of miles away from the truth. India's cotton cultivation capacity and requirement both would grow. This policy of importing material and processing it for export is an old practice in global trade," Goyal said.