You Have Sold India: Rahul Gandhi To Govt
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Lok Sabha LoP, linked criticism of the US trade deal to global instability, data control and risks to farmers
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi intensified his assault on the government during Wednesday’s debate on the Union Budget, denouncing the interim India-US trade agreement as a capitulation of national sovereignty. He framed his critique against a backdrop of escalating global instability, technological upheaval, and strategic weaknesses, urging policymakers to confront these realities head-on.
Drawing from the Economic Survey, Gandhi highlighted the shift toward geopolitical rivalry and the weaponization of energy and finance. “The world is confronting intensifying geopolitical rivalry and the growing weaponisation of energy and finance, signalling a shift ‘from a world of stability to a world of instability’,” he stated. He challenged official optimism, noting, “The prime minister has stated, and shockingly the NSA has also stated, that the era of war is over. In fact, we are moving into an era of war.” Gandhi insisted that such turbulence necessitated safeguarding India’s core assets.
Turning to the trade pact, Gandhi accused the government of excessive concessions. “You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata,” he declared, arguing it compromised autonomy in energy procurement and exposed farmers to fierce competition. He warned of a “storm” from American agricultural imports flooding markets and disrupting sectors like textiles.
Employing a vivid metaphor, Gandhi suggested external pressures constrained Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “When a chokehold is applied in martial arts, you can see fear in the eyes of the person being choked. In the same way, you can see fear in Narendra Modi’s eyes,” he remarked.
Gandhi advocated prioritizing India’s inherent strengths, identifying its population, food security, and energy capacity as pillars. “The country’s ‘1.4 billion people — brilliant, energetic, and dynamic’ represented its central strength,” he said, adding that citizens generate vast data as the “petrol for AI.” He cautioned that artificial intelligence could upend employment in the IT sector, displacing software professionals, while underscoring farmers and laborers as vital to food production and resilience.
Criticizing the Budget, Gandhi noted it acknowledged geopolitical conflicts and financial weaponization but lacked robust responses. He claimed the trade deal weakened India’s digital leverage by easing localization controls, enabling cross-border data flows, and favoring multinational tech firms. “An INDIA bloc government would have negotiated from parity, foregrounding India’s data, energy security and agricultural interests and ensuring discussions occurred ‘between equals, not as masters and servants’,” he asserted.
In his closing salvo, Gandhi reiterated concerns over agriculture, predicting small farmers would falter against industrial-scale imports. “You yourself say the era of one superpower is over… and yet you have allowed the Americans to weaponise our finance and our energy against us,” he charged, before demanding accountability: “How can you come to this House and defend this? Are you not ashamed of what you are giving away?”
Gandhi’s remarks underscored a call for strategic independence amid global shifts, positioning the trade agreement as emblematic of broader vulnerabilities. Opposition leaders echoed his sentiments, amplifying debates on economic sovereignty and national interests in an increasingly volatile world.
