Congress chief Anand Sharma on Thursday (February 12, 2026) slammed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for criticizing India’s stand on the 2013 WTO ministerial assembly in Bali beneath UPA guidelines, accusing her of “intentionally misinforming” Congress to justify the “settlement” interim commerce cope with the US.
Sitharaman had misled the general public solely for political achieve and was making “systematic allegations” that the UPA authorities had “offered out” India’s meals safety on the WTO assembly in Bali, the previous commerce minister mentioned in an announcement.
“It’s unlucky and stunning that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman intentionally misinformed Parliament concerning the settlement reached on the ninth WTO Ministerial Convention in Bali in December 2013.
“Desperate to justify and defend the agreed Interim Commerce Settlement with the US, she has raised unwarranted allegations that the Congress-led UPA authorities offered out India’s meals safety rights on the WTO assembly in Bali. That is false, inaccurate and contradicts the information on document and official WTO statements,” Sharma mentioned.
Stating that the finance minister had made the declare for political achieve, he claimed that “the difficulty of public shareholding for meals safety was really compelled upon by India within the Bali ministerial assembly and the identical was ensured and guarded.”
Ms Sitharaman on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) launched a fierce assault on opposition chief Rahul Gandhi, saying it was the Congress-led UPA authorities that had deserted India’s pursuits and “offered out” the pursuits of the poor and farmers earlier than worldwide our bodies together with the World Commerce Group (WTO).
She argued that it was Congress that not solely offered out the income of the poor and peasants, however the nation itself.
Mr. Sharma mentioned it was the truth is India’s sturdy and uncompromising stance that pushed the difficulty of public stockpiling and subsistence meals grain procurement onto the WTO agenda in Bali, regardless of sturdy opposition from the US, the European Union, the Cairns Group and developed nations.
“India fought tenaciously and succeeded in bringing collectively a world coalition of growing nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This compelled developed nations to make concessions and agree to barter a sturdy resolution that modified outdated WTO guidelines, which India rejected in Bali as inherently flawed and unjust.”
“India has additionally ensured safety for itself and different growing nations from WTO challenges of any violations till a negotiated sturdy resolution is in place,” he mentioned.
Sharma argued that the India-led coalition of growing nations agreed to the WTO settlement solely after first securing the fitting to public stockpiling of meals grains for meals safety functions.
“The Bali Ministerial Convention was an incredible victory for the nations of the World South,” he mentioned, citing his personal assertion in each homes of Congress on December 13, 2013. Congressional leaders maintained that the difficulty of securing peace provisions on public shareholding for meals safety functions was led by India within the face of staunch opposition from the US and Cairns Group member states.
Nonetheless, India, by way of the Bali Declaration, has managed to beat any problem beneath the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding and has protected India’s public holdings of meals grains beneath the Minimal Assist Worth Program from WTO authorized challenges, he mentioned.
Sharma mentioned that Sitharaman’s assertion in 2015, when she was federal commerce minister, that the Bali ministerial settlement was a short lived peace clause was “factually incorrect and politically dishonest”.
In a present of political dignity, Sitharaman instructed Parliament {that a} everlasting deal can be concluded by December 2015, in keeping with the assurances given by the then US President to Prime Minister Modi, a senior Congress chief mentioned.
“Nonetheless, despite the fact that 12 years have handed for the reason that Bali Ministerial Declaration and 11 years for the reason that Basic Council’s resolution, a everlasting resolution to the issue has not but been reached,” he argued.
issued – February 12, 2026 5:44 PM IST
