The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated exchange between Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, after the latter’s remarks on the India-US trade deal.
Rahul, during his speech in the Lower House on Wednesday, alleged that the government had “sold” India through the interim trade deal with US, while adding that the recently announced deal was a “wholesale surrender.”
Amid the LoP’s speech, Rijiju interrupted and said the Congress leader was repeating his remarks. The union minister said the LoP’s remarks have “serious connotations”, and asked Rahul to further authenticate his allegations.
“You are repeating one thing again and again. We have told you from the beginning…” the union minister said.
Rijiju further said, “Rahul Gandhi kept repeating it. We still said you can move on to the next subject, we are ready to hear you. But you repeated again. You took the Prime Minister’s name, and the word you used and the allegations you levelled – I want to request and demand you through the Chair, that whatever allegations you have made, despite the Chair’s objection, you have to authenticate it.”
The union parliamentary affairs minister said that Rahul, as the Lok Sabha LoP, was not a normal member of Parliament. “When you speak on certain things, there are serious connotations. I would urge the LoP, all the points he has made have serious repercussions. He must authenticate all allegations he has made,” he told Rahul.
Following this, the Congress leader said he would authenticate his statements immediately. Addressing the Chair, Rahul said, “I will authenticate right now. Let me authenticate, he has told me to authenticate. I will do so right now. I am authenticating.” However, Jagdambika Pal said that Rahul did not need to authenticate, stating that it was the union parliamentary affairs minister who has asked for it, not the Chair.
What did Rahul say on the India-US trade deal?
The LoP said the trade deal was a “surrender” of “1.5 billion Indians”, alleging that the BJP wanted to protect its “financial architecture.”
“It is a tragedy, because it is a surrender not just of the Prime Minister. He has surrendered the future of 1.5 billion Indians, and he has surrendered because he wants to protect the BJP’s financial architecture,” Rahul said, while alleging that India’s energy security had been handed over to the US. He further said that the interests of Indian farmers had been compromised.
“You yourself admit that we are facing a global storm — that the era of one superpower is over, that geopolitical conflicts are intensifying, and that energy and finance are being weaponised. Yet, despite acknowledging this reality, you have allowed the United States to weaponise energy and financial systems in ways that impact us,” the LoP said.
Rahul further questioned America’s caveat of India not buying oil from Russia, saying New Delhi’s energy security was “being dictated externally.” The LoP said that no Prime Minister “would sign such a deal unless there was a chokehold on him.”
