New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi India on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the government during discussions on the 2026-27 Union Budget, claiming that India’s strategic autonomy was being compromised and key decisions on energy and economic policy were increasingly influenced by the global power equation.In a pointed comment on the Centre’s foreign and trade policies, Rahul Gandhi said “now the United States will decide from whom we buy oil, not our prime minister” and accused the government of weakening India’s negotiating position in an unstable and rapidly changing global order.Key quotes from Rahul Gandhi’s speeches
- “When you enter a dangerous world, what is the first thing you have to understand? I want to tell everyone our advantages. The core advantage is our 1.4 billion people. They are talented, energetic and dynamic and can challenge anyone in the world.”
- “Talking about artificial intelligence is like talking about internal combustion engines without talking about gasoline. The gasoline of artificial intelligence is data.”
- ‘Indian data holds key to maintaining US superpower’
- “Aren’t you ashamed of selling India?”
- “If Americans want to remain a superpower and protect their dollars, the key is India’s data”
- “Population is a force, but only if you realize the importance of data”
- “If India Group negotiates with President Trump, we will say ‘the most important thing in this equation is
India data ‘” - “We will tell President Trump that if you want access to Indian data, you must talk to us as equals”
Citing the Economic Survey, Rahul Gandhi said the world is entering an era of increasing geopolitical conflict and instability.“I was looking at the economic survey and found two things, a solid point of view and a profound point of view, which I like. The first is that we live in a world of heightened geopolitical conflict…U.S. dominance is being challenged by China, Russia, and other forces. The second thing is that we live in a world where energy and finance are weaponized. The main thing they are saying here is that we are moving from a stable world to an unstable world.“He added, “The Prime Minister said, shockingly, the National Security Agency said that the era of war is over. In fact, we are entering an era of war. You can see there is war in Ukraine, there is war in Gaza, there is war in the Middle East, there is the threat of war in Iran. We have operations in Sindor. So we are entering an unstable world. The dollar is being challenged. As my friends on the other side understand, the core game is that the dollar is being challenged.” Being challenged, the supremacy of the United States is being challenged. We are moving from a world of superpowers to a new world that we really cannot predict…”Rahul Gandhi believes India’s vast data pool gives it leverage in global negotiations. “People create data. We have the largest data pool on earth. 1.4 billion people means India is generating a lot of data. Everyone talks about AI, but talking about AI is like talking about an internal combustion engine without petrol. The petrol for AI is data… which means if you have AI but no data, you have nothing. What are the two largest data pools on Earth? Data pool in India and data pool in China. “He used martial arts as a metaphor, “In martial arts, the order is grip, pinch, and slap. This kind of grip also exists in politics. However, in politics, grip, pinch, and slap are still hidden.”He further said, “The budget acknowledges that energy and finance are being weaponised, but there is nothing in the budget to investigate this”.Rahul Gandhi called for safeguards, adding, “We need to protect our people, data, food supplies and energy systems”.He also warned of the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence. “I warn governments that artificial intelligence will have many consequences; companies at the forefront of information technology will be in trouble.”The Congress leader reiterated that India is entering a period of high uncertainty. “We are moving from a stable world to an unstable world.”His remarks came amid heated exchanges between Opposition and Treasury MPs during the ongoing budget session.
