New Delhi [India], February 3 : Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Tuesday criticised the government's trade deal with the US, stating that India has "become nothing but a market," after a trade deal with the United States led to reports that India could abandon Russian oil procurement.
Aujla's comments follow reports that India may abandon Russian oil procurement under the deal, prompting chaotic scenes in the Lok Sabha and the suspension of eight opposition MPs, including him.
Speaking with ANI, Aujla also referenced India's relationships with other countries, mentioning Venezuela and Russia, and accused the government of treating the country as a market.
"It's necessary to buy goods from them, and we will also buy oil from Venezuela, abandoning Russia, which was our country's old friend...This was the same Parliament where PM Modi said he would not discuss tariffs because farmers' livelihoods would be at risk, and everyone applauded. Where has that concern for livelihoods gone today?... Now this country has become nothing but a market," he told ANI.
Aujla also slammed the government's stance on Rahul Gandhi's statement in Parliament, saying the opposition's role is to raise national issues and the government should respond.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi sparked chaos in Parliament with his speech, highlighting concerns over China's presence in India, the US trade deal, and national policy. The speech led to a heated exchange: opposition MPs demanded discussions on key issues, while government MPs raised procedural objections, resulting in the suspension of eight opposition MPs, including Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla.
"It is the opposition's duty to present the issues facing the entire country; that's what Parliament is for, and the government should come and respond to them. But since yesterday, they've been saying that you can't cite any books... China has now entered the country, Chinese goods are flooding the market, and now they have done the same with America...m" said Aujla.
The controversy surrounds the India-US trade agreement, which aims to reduce tariffs on Indian exports from 25% to 18%. However, Congress leaders have expressed concerns over the deal's impact on India's agriculture sector and energy imports, particularly the potential halt on Russian oil purchases.
Amid uproar, some members were seen throwing papers. The House was adjourned till 3 pm. When the House resumed its proceedings, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named eight opposition members.
The opposition MPs who have been suspended for the remainder of the session are Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, and CPI-M member S Venkatesan.