'Govt sold Bharat Mata, wholesale surrender': Rahul on India-US trade deal

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the government has "sold Bharat Mata" through the India-US interim trade deal and that it was a "wholesale surrender" with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised.

Participating in the debate on the Union Budget, he said that had an INDIA Bloc government negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told US President Donald Trump that he should treat India as an equal.

"You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata," he said while referring to the trade agreement.

The LoP said energy security has gone under the India-US trade deal, and the US will decide "whom we buy oil from".

Gandhi said the interests of the farmers have been compromised, and the farmers are facing a "storm" as agricultural products from the US will flood Indian markets.

He also alleged that the Indian textile industry is "finished".

The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval had stated that the era of war is over. "But the fact is, we are moving into the era of war."

"Moving into a dangerous world, we have to understand our strengths, and the central strength of our country is our people," he pointed out.

He underlined the need to protect country's people, data, food supply and energy system.