Rahul attacks govt over India-US trade deal; triggers protests in Lok Sabha

COngress leader Rahul indira nehru gandhi on wed attacked the authorities o'er the India-US merchandise deal and the 2026-27 Union Budget, and accused it of compromising national interests, triggering protests in Lok Sabha and warning of a privilege notice from treasury benches.“You have sold India,” he said days after a row over his remarks and references to former Army chief General (retd) MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir.Gandhi framed India’s negotiating strength around its people and data. He called Indian data the most valuable geopolitical asset in the 21st century. “In a contest between the United States and China, the single most valuable asset is Indian data. If the Americans want to remain a superpower and protect their dollar, the key to that is Indian data.”He said India must be treated “as an equal” in any trade negotiations. Gandhi referred to US President Donald Trump and said a Congress-led government would negotiate firmly. “If you want access to this data… You are going to talk to us as an equal. You are not going to talk to us as if we are your servants,” he said, adding that India’s energy security and farmers’ interests would be non-negotiable.“Our energy security is our energy security… and we are going to protect it… If you want to protect your farmers, we will also protect our farmers,” he said. Gandhi said India would not be equal to Pakistan. “If President Trump decides that Pakistan’s Army chief is going to have breakfast with him, then we would have something to say about that.”Gandhi began his speech by agreeing with parts of the Economic Survey 2025-26. He said that it states that “we are living in a world of intensifying geopolitical conflict,” where the US dominance is being challenged by the Chinese, the Russians, and by other forces, and that energy and finance were increasingly being weaponised. He warned that the world was moving from “stability to instability” and that artificial intelligence (AI) would disrupt India’s software workforce. “The petrol for AI is data… If you have AI and you don’t have data, you have nothing.”Gandhi said India’s population and its data pool are its strengths. “Our central strength is our people..1.4 billion… energetic… hard-working, dynamic individuals… People create data… and we have the biggest data pool on the planet,” he said. He spoke about food security ensured by farmers and labourers, and the importance of protecting the energy system as a core pillar of national strength in an uncertain world.Gandhi alleged that the government had compromised India’s digital sovereignty. He alleged the agreement with the US involved giving up control over digital trade rules, allowing free data flow to the US, limiting digital taxation, and removing data localisation requirements.He argued that the deal could hurt sectors such as textiles, agriculture, and energy. “You have opened the door… to mechanised American farms… to crush our poor farmers,” he said, adding that energy security could be affected if external pressures influenced India’s oil purchases. “Now the United States will decide who we buy oil from.”Gandhi criticised tariff changes and alleged unequal commitments in trade, claiming that India had conceded too much while gaining little in return. He pointed to what he described as a sharp shift in tariff structures, saying the average tariff had moved “from 3% to 18%,” while concessions were being extended to the US. “We have a commitment to them… and no commitment to us… This is absurd,” he said, adding that the agreement would increase US imports into India without adequate reciprocal benefits.Gandhi alleged that the digital trade framework granted sweeping concessions to foreign technology firms, including a “20-year free tax holiday… to anybody who wants to work for a big tech company”. He argued that such provisions would weaken India’s fiscal sovereignty and disadvantage domestic businesses while giving away key economic leverage.Gandhi’s remarks triggered a heated exchange when he accused the government of compromising national interests. “Are you not ashamed of selling India?… You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not have agreed to such deals “under normal circumstances”. He alleged that the government was under external “choke holds”.Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju countered Gandhi. “First of all, no man has been born in this universe who can touch or sell India. Secondly, the country has never seen a Prime Minister better than Modi,” Rijiju said, amid disruptions.Gandhi criticised the broader economic direction reflected in the Union Budget, warning that AI disruptions, global instability, and trade vulnerabilities required a different strategy. “We are heading into turbulent times… The nation has been sold… its data has been sold… its farmers have been sold,” he said, drawing protests from ruling party lawmakers.Gandhi also referenced the Epstein case, triggering protests from treasury benches, which accused him of making unrelated and unverified allegations during the Budget debate. Jagadambika Pal, the chair, repeatedly asked him to stay relevant and avoid personal references. “No allegations would go on record,” Pal said.Rijiju addressed a press conference later and said a privilege notice will be issued against Gandhi for “misleading the House and making baseless statements.” “….When a member intends to make serious charges or allegations against another member, they have to give notice and move a substantive motion. On the floor of the House, I requested Rahul Gandhi to provide the necessary authentication of the points he has made,” he said.Rijiju said Gandhi “made baseless and false allegations against the government and the Prime Minister, claiming that the Prime Minister has sold out India and its interests.”“Secondly, he named senior minister Hardeep Singh Puri and made serious allegations against him without giving any notice. This amounts to a serious breach of privilege. We are going to file the necessary notice with the Speaker….He was only making wild allegations... Rahul Gandhi deliberately repeats this behaviour. After making speeches that are often full of allegations, he leaves and does not stay to listen to the minister’s reply,” Rijiju said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party will counter “Gandhi’s lies” outside the Parliament.