Rahul Gandhi Criticizes India–US Trade Deal

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the India — Indian National Congress, has intensified his criticism of the India–United States interim trade deal, alleging it constitutes a 'betrayal' of Indian farmers. He has posed several questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the implications of importing Dried Distillers' Grains (DDG) and genetically modified (GM) soy oil from the United States, warning that such imports could make India's milk production dependent on the United States agricultural industry and cause price shocks for Indian soybean farmers. Gandhi also raised concerns about the removal of 'non-trade barriers' and the potential pressure on India to loosen its stance on GM crops, weaken procurement, or reduce minimum support prices (MSPs). Furthermore, he accused the government of 'cheating' cotton farmers and textile exporters, highlighting that the deal favors Bangladesh with zero percent tariffs on garment exports to the United States, provided Bangladesh imports United States cotton, which could severely disadvantage India's textile sector and cotton farming.