New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India–US trade deal. He alleged
that Modi called former US President Donald Trump and finalised the trade deal without consulting his Cabinet, accusing the PM of ‘selling the country’s farmers’.
Addressing the Kisan Maha-Chaupal in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha challenged the prime minister to cancel the trade deal “if he had the courage” as the US Supreme Court had stayed Trump’s tariffs.
Talking about the events from the recent Parliament session, Rahul alleged that he was not allowed to speak. “Traditionally, after the President’s address, the first speaker is the Leader of the Opposition. This happens every year. For the first time in the country’s history, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was not allowed to speak. When I began speaking, I was stopped,” he said.
Rahul questions PM Modi over Naravane’s book
The Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli said that while talking about the 2020 India-China standoff, he tried to refer to a book written by former Army Chief General Naravane, but was interrupted. Rahul said that Naravane, in his book, had written that when Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory, he called defence minister Rajnath Singh but received no response.
Rahul further claimed that Naravane then informed National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who also did not respond. He then called external affairs minister S Jaishankar and informed him about Chinese tanks entering Indian territory, but allegedly received no reply. Rahul said Naravane was asking what action to take because responding to the Chinese Army required approval from the Prime Minister.
He added that when Chinese forces were entering Indian territory, the Army Chief was not getting any response. Later, Rajnath Singh allegedly contacted the Prime Minister, who told him to inform the Army Chief to do whatever he considered appropriate. Rahul claimed that Naravane wrote in his book that he felt abandoned by the Prime Minister at that time.
‘I was not allowed to speak in Parliament’
Rahul further said that he was attempting to raise these issues in Parliament but was not allowed to speak. “As soon as I began, the Prime Minister looked towards Amit Shah, and he stood up and I was prevented from speaking,” he alleged.
Talking about the India-US interim trade deal, he said that the negotiations between India and the US had been stalled for four months over agriculture-related matters. The government, he claimed, did not want large American companies to sell soyabean, cotton and maize in India — something Indian farmers also opposed.
Rahul then claimed that after his speech, PM Modi allegedly called Trump the same evening without consulting the Cabinet. Trump later tweeted that Modi had informed him that India was ready to sign the deal. Rahul alleged that the trade deal, which had been stalled for four months, was suddenly revived. He further claimed that the Prime Minister left the Lok Sabha and later made “false excuses”.
Rahul cites reasons for Centre hastening US trade deal
He questioned whether Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was consulted and alleged that the government had “sold out” Indian farmers and handed over critical data to the United States.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged two reasons behind the move. First, he claimed that millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein were pending release in the US and that the name of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri had been made public as a form of pressure. He suggested this was a warning.
He also alleged that industrialist Gautam Adani is facing a criminal case in the US and cannot travel there. He claimed that Adani represents the financial structure of the BJP and Narendra Modi, and therefore the case against Adani is indirectly linked to the BJP and the Prime Minister.
