New Delhi: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, accusing the government of “complete abandonment” of India’s core data, food and energy interests in the trade deal. He claimed that Modi was succumbing to pressure due to India’s influence over him.While taking part in the Budget discussion, Gandhi first mentioned in his speech the concepts of “fisting” and “choking”, martial artists are taught to knock down opponents, and then used this metaphor to target Modi’s treatment of him by the United States. Gandhi denounced the interim agreement as a betrayal of national interests, which was the theme of his speech.“Farmers are at the mercy of American mechanized farms”Rahul said that the data of 1.4 billion Indians is the country’s most valuable asset, and the country needs to ensure its energy and food interests during this turbulent period.In trying to corner the government, the LoP had mentioned a convicted child sex offender in the US, two Indian businessmen and Bharat Mata, but this was resisted by the finance minister and expunged from the record.He claimed minister Hardeep Puri introduced the child sex offender to an Indian businessman named in documents released by the US government. The Chairman asked him not to make these allegations.Rahul Gandhi denounced the interim trade deal as a sellout of national interests, a theme of his speech, dealing a blow to the plank the Bharatiya Janata Party-led New Democratic Alliance government has effectively had since coming to power in 2014.He claimed, “India’s most valuable asset (data) has been handed over. Our farmers have been left at the mercy of American mechanized farms. Our textiles have been destroyed. Our energy security has been handed over.” We can’t buy oil from whom we want. This is mass surrender. “Unlike Modi and NSA Doval who claimed that this was not an era of war, Rahul said the world was actually “entering an era of war and instability” amid intensifying geopolitical conflicts. He said that the hegemony of the US dollar is being challenged and the world is moving away from an era of superpowers.He said that while the budget acknowledged the challenges, including the weaponization of energy and finance, it did not provide a path forward before turning to the deal to slam the government.He claimed that the agreement compromised the security of all three key elements needed to run a modern state: data, food supplies and energy.
