After weeks of heated exchanges in Parliament over his earlier speech and reference to former Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi addressed the House again on Wednesday. This time, he turned his focus to the proposed India-US trade agreement and delivered a pointed message to US President Donald Trump, urging that India be treated as an equal partner.
Speaking during the ongoing Budget session, Gandhi argued that in the broader strategic competition between the United States and China, India’s data holds immense value. He said that if the US wishes to preserve its global dominance and safeguard the strength of the dollar, Indian data would play a decisive role.
He suggested that if the Opposition INDIA bloc were negotiating with Washington, it would begin by making clear that India’s data is central to any discussion. According to him, India is willing to engage as a friend, but any such engagement must be based on parity rather than subordination.
Gandhi stated that if the US seeks access to Indian data, it must approach India as an equal and not as a subordinate partner. He also stressed that India’s energy security is a sovereign matter and would be protected regardless of external pressure. On agricultural issues, he added that just as the US seeks to safeguard its farmers, India would do the same for its own.
He further remarked that an INDIA alliance government would negotiate from a position of strength, placing India’s data and strategic interests at the centre of talks. Gandhi also asserted that India would not accept any comparison with Pakistan and implied that any preferential gestures toward Pakistan by the US would be met with a response from India.
Targeting the ruling government, Gandhi accused it of compromising national interests. He questioned whether the leadership felt no shame in what he described as selling out the country, invoking the phrase Bharat Mata to underline his point. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not ordinarily make such concessions but alleged that he was under pressure.
His remarks triggered strong objections from the treasury benches. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected Gandhi’s statements, asserting that no one could sell India and defending Modi’s leadership, calling him the best Prime Minister the country has seen.
