Rahul Gandhi Questions Modi's Timing on Indo-US Trade Deal, Alleges Farmer Harm
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday raised pointed questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's timing in finalizing the Indo-US interim trade agreement. Speaking at the Mazdoor Kissan Maha Rally in Barnala, Punjab, Gandhi highlighted that the deal had been stalled for four months due to disagreements over opening India's agriculture sector to foreign competition.
"So the question arises, the work which PM did not do for four months, why did he do it within 15 minutes?" Gandhi asked the gathered crowd. "What was the pressure that the prime minister of India signed a death warrant for our country there. He signed a death warrant for our farmers. He gave away our data. He signed a death warrant for our small and medium industries," he alleged in a fiery speech.
Allegations of Agricultural Sector Opening
Rahul Gandhi further claimed that Prime Minister Modi has provided a guarantee to US President Donald Trump that India would purchase American products worth Rs 9 lakh crore annually. He warned that opening the agricultural sector would allow American goods to flood the Indian market, devastating farmers across multiple states.
"Narendra Modi has opened the door of the agricultural sector. American goods will flow in, and our farmers will be ruined," Gandhi stated emphatically. He specifically mentioned farmers in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha as being at particular risk.
Gandhi made a strong declaration about the sanctity of India's agricultural policies: "No prime minister of India, whether from the Congress Party, the BJP, or any other party, can open the agricultural sector. No prime minister can."
Parliamentary Speaking Restrictions Alleged
In a related development, Rahul Gandhi claimed he was prevented from speaking in the Lok Sabha following the president's address because he intended to reference an unpublished book by former army chief General Manoj Naravane (retired). According to Gandhi, the memoir describes concerning incidents during Chinese troop movements near the border.
"Only the prime minister of the country can give the order to fire upon the Chinese army. Neither the army chief nor the defence minister can give it," Gandhi explained. "Naravane ji asked the prime minister whether we can fire and stop them. There was no response for 2 hours. After that, Naravane ji gets the order to do whatever he deems appropriate."
The Congress leader's allegations suggest a pattern of what he characterizes as rushed decision-making on international agreements combined with inadequate responses to national security threats. His rally speech in Punjab comes amid ongoing political tensions between the ruling BJP and opposition parties over economic and agricultural policies.
