Opposition MPs protested the India-US interim trade deal in Parliament accusing the government of surrendering Indian interests.
Rahul Gandhi called the deal a "wholesale surrender" that hands energy security to America and harms farmers.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress MPs joined the demonstration at Makar Dwar against the trade pact.
Opposition Protests India-US Interim Trade Deal In Parliament Over National Interests
Congress and allies accuse Modi government of surrendering to US demands on energy and farmers
Summary
Opposition MPs staged a protest in the Parliament House complex on Thursday against the India-US interim trade deal, accusing the government of surrendering Indian interests.
According to PTI, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, DMK's TR Baalu, SP's Dharmendra Yadav and Jaya Bachchan, CPI-ML's Sudama Prasad, among others, took part in the demonstration near the Makar Dwar.
Carrying a huge banner that read "trap deal" and 'Narender Surrender' posters, the MPs raised slogans such as "US deal hai atyachari" and "desh ko bechna bandh karo".
PTI reported that later, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with other Congress MPs, including those who have been recently suspended, stood on the steps of Makar Dwar and protested against the government over the deal.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government ignored the voices of workers and farmers while making decisions concerning their future and asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will listen to them now or if there is a "grip" on him too strong.
This came a day after he alleged that the India-US interim trade deal was a "wholesale surrender", with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised.
As reported by PTI, while participating in the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Gandhi claimed that Indian interests had been "surrendered" under the trade deal to protect the BJP's financial architecture.
He drew an analogy of how in martial arts after securing a grip, the next step is a chokehold, and then the opponent taps to give up.
Gandhi underlined the need to protect the country's people, data, food supply and energy system.
He said that had an INDIA bloc government negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told President Donald Trump that he must treat India equally.
(With inputs from PTI)
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