New Delhi, February 11 – The BJP on Wednesday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the India-US interim trade deal, calling them "ridiculously false". The BJP also accused Gandhi of undermining parliamentary decorum by using "street language" during his speech in the Lok Sabha.
This came after Gandhi, during a debate on the Union Budget, launched a scathing attack on Modi, alleging that the government had "sold Bharat Mata" through the trade deal, and that it constituted a "wholesale surrender" with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised.
Gandhi stated that he did not believe that any Indian prime minister, including Modi, would agree to such a deal unless there was a "chokehold" on him.
Responding to Gandhi's remarks, BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni said that Gandhi's claims about the India-US trade deal were "ridiculously false and incorrect".
Baluni stated that "Facts are clearly not the LoP's strong suit."
"Rahul Gandhi has once again chosen theatrics over truth, misleading both the House and the nation," he said.
Baluni alleged that during the Budget discussion in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi not only criticised the document but also "misquoted and misread" it, and then "built an argument on that distortion."
Baluni added, "Rahul Gandhi's claim hinges on a document that no longer reflects reality. He is citing an older US government fact sheet that framed India’s proposed USD 500 billion purchases as a commitment. That language has since been corrected,"
Baluni said, "The updated position is clear: India has expressed an intention, not a binding obligation, to purchase goods worth up to USD 500 billion over the coming years."
Baluni further stated that "Parliament deserves scrutiny grounded in facts, not selective readings and convenient misinterpretations. Deliberately misrepresenting the Budget weakens democratic debate and disrespects the intelligence of the people of India."
Earlier, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi rejected Gandhi's accusations as "baseless" and alleged that the Congress leader took the parliamentary decorum and politics to the lowest level using "sadak chhap bhasha" (street language) and displaying "sadak chhap acharan" (street conduct) while speaking in the House.
Trivedi told a press conference at the BJP headquarters, "Once again, in his usual slanderous style, he repeatedly levelled baseless and false allegations, filled with hatred towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the Chair repeatedly asking him to refrain from doing so."
Trivedi condemned Gandhi's remarks and said, "If King James I was the wisest fool in the Christendom, we can say Rahul Gandhi is the wisest fool in the Congressdom."
Baluni added, "He alleged that the country was sold. I think if he had even a general understanding of diplomacy and economic policies, he would not have used such baseless allegations."
Rejecting Gandhi's claim that Indian data is being sold to the US, Baluni said the Budget, which has proposed a tax break for companies setting up data centres in India until 2047, will further India’s goal of data localisation.
Baluni added, "With more data centres in India, our IT companies will be able to deliver cloud and other AI solutions to clients in the West. More data centres in India equals more opportunities for our IT companies, and equals data localisation in the long run. The data of 1.4 billion Indians stays in India."
Baluni said Gandhi's claim that the Budget did not contain any proposal or plan to fortify India’s supply chains in a globally volatile world is also incorrect.
Baluni added, "The budget document contains a proposal for rare earths, a new semiconductor mission that will focus on all the levels of the value chain, and several critical mineral corridors running through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu."
The BJP chief spokesperson also dismissed Gandhi's claim that India will remove its digital services tax and that the country was opening up its farming sector by allowing imports of pulses, saying the Leader of Opposition was quoting an "older version of the fact sheet" provided by the US government.
Baluni said, "The agreement clearly states that a new set of digital rules will be negotiated between India and the US."
Baluni said the "updated" fact sheet of the US government carries no mention of pulses.
Baluni added, "India imports pulses worth more than USD 2 billion annually. In 2023, it was USD 2.6 billion. On cotton, the United States is one of the importers, for far greater volumes of cotton are imported from Brazil and Australia, but put together, the cotton we import is merely 1/10th of the cotton we grow in India."
Baluni added that Gandhi's claim that India has compromised its energy security also does not "survive the facts".
Baluni also dismissed as “incorrect and incomplete assessment” Gandhi’s claims that US tariffs have gone up from 3 per cent to 18 per cent for India.
Baluni said, "Today, India is being tariffed at 18 per cent, but this is before the trade deal is finalised,"
Baluni added, "Close to 45 per cent of India’s exports to the US, including pharmaceuticals, electronic equipment, and gems and stones, are going to be taxed “at very low tariffs, even zero per cent”."
Baluni added, "Therefore, the effective average weighted tariffs on Indian goods are expected to go down further once the deal is finalised."
