New Delhi: Congress chief and Chief of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharji on Wednesday criticized the India-US commerce deal and warned the federal government of an uproar much like the protests in opposition to the three farm legal guidelines of 2020-21.
Mr. Kharge identified that India is an agricultural nation and a big a part of the inhabitants depends upon agriculture. “I wish to remind the Prime Minister that after a 12 months of large protests by farmers, we needed to forcefully vote on the three black farming legal guidelines…now you’re making the identical mistake once more.”
Kharge then warned, “In any case that is over, the farmers’ agitation will rise once more. In the event that they take to the streets once more, we should take all this again, similar to we needed to do earlier than.”
Reside: Reply to movement of thanks for the President’s speech.
https://t.co/8dvCToVUJY
— Malikarjun Kharge (@kharge) February 4, 2026
Kharge complained that members of Congress realized in regards to the India-US commerce deal by US President Donald Trump moderately than the Indian authorities. “That is an insult to Congress,” he stated, including that the US usually insults India on the world stage.
The Congress president claimed that the deal would “destroy” India’s farmers.
“The brand new U.S.-India settlement will ship extra U.S. agricultural merchandise to India’s large market, boosting costs and pumping money into rural America,” he stated, referring to a press release launched by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
“No matter is imported, there’s zero responsibility, however what we ship to them is eighteen% (responsibility). Are you working in favor of the farmers or in opposition to them?” Kharji requested.
President Trump had introduced on Monday the conclusion of negotiations on a commerce deal between India and the US. Shortly after, after a phone dialog between the 2 leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that an “18%” tariff could be imposed on Indian exports.
In his speech within the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Union Commerce and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal advised Parliament that the commerce deal will shield the pursuits of key sectors equivalent to agriculture and dairying. He added that the settlement will profit Indian exporters because the customs duties can be decrease than these imposed by competing nations.
“Manusmriti that transcends the structure”
Kharge spoke about social justice in his speech and alleged that the Modi authorities has weakened the nation’s social cloth over the previous 11 years.
“After independence, we had two main targets: a social construction based mostly on equal justice and making the nation a parliamentary democracy. Within the final 11 years, you may have bulldozed each of them. In your thoughts, Manusmriti has transcended the structure,” he asserted.
Throughout a dialogue on the movement of thanks for the President’s tackle within the ongoing Price range session, Kharge stated that though the President spoke about ladies empowerment, in actuality ladies have solely change into a “vote financial institution” for the Bharatiya Janata Occasion.
“Up to now, the BJP has by no means had a girl as president. The RSS has by no means handed over the management to a girl in its 100 years,” he stated.
Kharge additionally ridiculed the Bharatiya Janata Occasion on Manipur. He stated that whereas it took Vasco da Gama 11 months to journey from Portugal to India through Africa, it took Prime Minister Narendra Modi two years to succeed in Manipur although the state witnessed a human tragedy.
Relating to “selective concentrating on” within the nation, Kharji stated, “In states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Kerala, even church buildings had been attacked…In Kerala, when elections are close to, Modiji goes to church however stays silent about assaults on church buildings.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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