New Delhi, March 12 Congress Rajya Sabha member Shaktisinh Gohil accused the government of succumbing to US pressure and allowing President Donald Trump to interfere in the country's affairs, including the purchase of oil.
Participating in a discussion on the Ministry of Rural Development, Gohil also criticized the government over the trade deal with the US, stating that the interests of Indian farmers have not been protected.
Referring to Trump's repeated claims of preventing a clash between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor, the Congress member urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to the House and say that the US President is "lying" and the opposition will support him.
"You can't say that," Gohil said, adding that there must be reasons why Trump's claims are not being disputed.
Responding to BJP member Sangeeta Balwant's remarks that India's respect has increased globally after the Modi government came to power, Gohil said that if this were the case, Indians would not have been deported from the US in handcuffs.
Referring to US sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil, he said, "Whether we buy oil from Russia or elsewhere is our choice, our country decides. How has India's respect globally increased?"
Without naming late Indira Gandhi, Gohil said that there was once a prime minister of India who said, "What my nation will do will be decided by my countrymen and my government," and it was then that India's respect globally rose.
He said that due to the war in West Asia, Indians, particularly in villages, are also suffering due to disruptions in gas supply.
On the trade deal with the US, he asked, "What will be the benefit? Have you ever thought about what the condition of our farmers will be?"
BJP members Mahendra Bhatt and Maya Naroliya cited several steps taken by the government under the leadership of Modi for rural development and said that India's journey towards becoming a developed nation will go through its villages.