Whenever someone wants to buy a TV or a car, they purchase it from a shop or showroom of their choice. If they know someone, they even try to get a discount. This happens everywhere. But when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, declares that a country like India should not buy oil from Russia and that if it buys, it must buy only from those they suggest, and when the Indian government appears to have agreed to this, the people of the country are left astonished. The comments made by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, that it is not the Prime Minister of India who decides from where India should buy oil, but America, have strongly resonated with the public. That is why Rahul Gandhi made sensational remarks, calling the interim trade agreement between the Indian government and the United States not a trade deal but a “trap deal.” He alleged that ever since the case registered against Adani in the United States and the release of the Epstein files, fear is visible in Prime Minister Modi’s eyes. He criticized that Prime Minister Modi has sold Mother India and completely surrendered to America.
He also said that the Modi government compromised on farmers’ issues. It is known that until recently, India had been importing large quantities of oil from Russia at cheaper prices. With America repeatedly exerting pressure on this issue and taking steps such as increasing tariffs, India put brakes on oil purchases from Russia. Reports also stated that during the trade agreement discussions, Donald Trump referred to the same issue and instructed officials in his country to keep an eye on ensuring that India does not buy oil from Russia. However, with two key Indian ministers, Piyush Goyal and Jaishankar, saying they were unaware of the matter, it has become clear that India yielded to American pressure. Rahul Gandhi criticized that while the entire world, including India, is now chanting the mantra of AI, and without data AI is of no use, the Indian government has granted a 20-year tax concession to the data center industry in a manner that benefits foreign companies. He alleged that data localization rules were diluted and policy changes were made in favor of America.
Since the beginning of the Parliament budget sessions until now, there appears to be a clear shift in the approach of Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Having faced severe criticism multiple times in the past for his actions, this time Rahul Gandhi’s conduct in the Lok Sabha is receiving significant support. There is discussion that his criticism targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Lok Sabha platform is connecting well with the public. It must be said that during the Lok Sabha budget sessions, the ruling NDA has found itself cornered on several key issues. Regarding the motion thanking the President for the address, the discussion in the Lok Sabha was concluded without a reply from Prime Minister Modi. The statement by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla himself that he had asked the Prime Minister not to attend the House after receiving information that there could be an attack on the Prime Minister under the guise of opposition women members has become a serious topic of discussion.
There has never been an instance in the past where the discussion on the motion thanking the President in the Lok Sabha concluded without the Prime Minister’s reply. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi strongly voiced that the trade agreement signed with the United States would benefit America more than India. On Thursday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey stated that he had introduced a motion seeking the cancellation of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership and a ban on his contesting elections. There is a growing opinion among many that this time Rahul Gandhi is challenging BJP leaders on several issues in a manner not seen before. Whether this trend will continue in the coming days remains to be seen.