Barnala (Punjab) [India], February 28 : Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre, calling the India-US trade deal framework a "death warrant" for farmers and MSMEs.
Addressing the Congress' Kisan Mahachuapal in Punjab's Barnala, Rahul Gandhi reiterated that PM Modi agreed to the trade deal with the US amid pressure from Donald Trump.
Questioning the interim deal, Gandhi said, "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... There are approximately 33 lakh files of Epstein in America. The truth about Narendra Modi is locked inside those files. America and Donald Trump are threatening Narendra Modi. They are saying that, if you do not sign, then we will open this."
"In the last 10-15 years, the BJP has put its entire financial system in Adani ji's company. Americans have filed a criminal case against Adani ji. First hand, Epstein, second hand, criminal case against Adani, and in between, Narendra Modi's neck," he said.
The Congress MP expressed concern as India agreed to levying zero or low tariffs on imports of certain agricultural and industrial goods from the US, stating that the deal will "ruin Indian farmers."
"PM Narendra Modi has opened the door of the agricultural sector. Farmers in Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha are going to be ruined. American goods will flow in, and our farmers will be ruined. PM Narendra Modi didn't want to do this. I know because he's been trying to stop it for four months. We have connections in the government. We know the bureaucrats. No Prime Minister of India, whether from the Congress, the BJP, or any other party, can open the agricultural sector. No Prime Minister can. So the question arises, why did Narendra Modi do the work which he could not do in four months in 15 minutes?" he asked.
Congress has been holding farmer rallies to criticise the trade deal framework, calling "PM is compromised." Congress has held such farmer conventions in Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, before Punjab.
Congress' criticism of the trade deal framework comes as India agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
While, as per the deal, the United States was to levy a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent, after the US court verdict, Trump announced a global tariff rate of 15 per cent.