Barnala:- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US interim trade agreement in Barnala, claiming that it will destroy Indian farmers. Addressing the Kisan Mahachaupal rally here, Gandhi alleged that the deal was stalled for four months due to differences over opening up the agriculture sector.
He said, "The question arises, what the Prime Minister did not do for four months, why did he do it in 15 minutes?" and asked why the trade agreement was done suddenly. Gandhi said that Modi had guaranteed US President Donald Trump that India would buy US products worth Rs 9 lakh crore every year.
He said that the deal "will destroy Indian farmers." During his address, Gandhi claimed that he was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha after the President's address recently because he wanted to comment on the memoirs of former Army Chief Manoj Naravane. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that he wanted to refer to an unpublished book by General Naravane (retd), which he claimed described the lack of response from the political leadership during the movement of Chinese troops near the border.
He said that the Prime Minister called the US President without consulting the Cabinet, the Agriculture Minister, the Defence Minister and the External Affairs Minister. Gandhi said that Modi told US President Donald Trump that he was ready for the deal.
He said that under this deal, India has allowed the sale of soybeans, corn, cotton, fruits and almonds to the US. He alleged, "Narendra Modi ji has opened the door of the agriculture sector. Farmers of all the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha will be ruined."
Gandhi said that if India buys goods worth Rs 9 lakh crore every year, what will happen to our small and medium sector? He claimed that it will be destroyed. He further claimed that PM Modi told America that India will buy oil from the country from which it (America) wants. Gandhi further said, "Neither will we buy oil from Russia, nor from Iran. If you (America) ask us to buy oil from Venezuela, America and Saudi Arabia, then India's entire energy security is gone."
Senior Congress leaders including KC Venugopal, Bhupesh Baghel, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa, former Chief Ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Randhawa and another senior leader of the state Vijay Inder Singla were present on the occasion.