New Delhi | Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bowing to pressure from the United States to finalise a trade agreement, alleging that the deal had compromised India’s interests and betrayed the hard work of the country’s farmers.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi said he was prevented from addressing the Lok Sabha on the President’s address after insisting on referring to an article that cited excerpts from former Army chief General M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir. He claimed this marked the first time in parliamentary history that a Leader of Opposition was not allowed to speak on such an occasion.
Gandhi alleged that the trade deal, which had remained unresolved for months, was suddenly finalised under unexplained circumstances. He claimed that the agreement amounted to a sell-out of Indian farmers and asserted that the Prime Minister was under immense pressure.
In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi said the Prime Minister was compromised and unwilling to allow debate in Parliament on issues related to General Naravane, the Epstein files and India’s surrender on tariffs.
According to Gandhi, the controversy surrounding Naravane’s remarks was only a distraction. He said the real issue was that the Prime Minister had been compromised and was afraid of scrutiny.
He further alleged that the Prime Minister was under enormous pressure and that the image built over years through massive expenditure could collapse. Gandhi claimed the farmers of India needed to understand that their labour, sacrifices and livelihoods had been traded away through the agreement.
The Congress leader said the government’s refusal to allow him to speak was evidence of fear and insecurity at the highest level.
Asked about the nature of the pressure on the Prime Minister, Gandhi referred to legal issues involving industrialist Gautam Adani in the United States and developments linked to the Epstein files. He described these as pressure points affecting the government.
The Epstein files refer to a large set of documents connected to investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, including emails, travel records and recordings that have drawn renewed attention in recent years.
Responding to Gandhi’s allegations, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur questioned whether the Congress and other opposition parties were acting in India’s national interest. He rejected claims that the Prime Minister had surrendered to external pressure.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also raised concerns over the trade agreement, saying the United States had indicated that American agricultural products would now gain access to the Indian market. She demanded clarity from the government on whether Indian farmers would be exposed to direct competition with American companies.
She said millions of Indian farmers deserved transparency on the terms of the agreement and whether their interests had been compromised.
The trade deal was announced after a phone conversation between Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump. Trump said the agreement would reduce reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the existing 25 per cent.
Prime Minister Modi welcomed the announcement, saying he was pleased that tariffs on Made in India products had been reduced. He thanked President Trump, stating that the decision would benefit India’s economy and exporters.
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