In a high-voltage Budget Session, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi government regarding the India-US trade agreement, directly addressing US President Donald Trump. Using the analogy of Jujutsu, a martial art, Rahul accused the Centre of surrendering India’s leverage to Trump. “President Trump must understand that India is not a servant. We must be treated as equals,” Rahul thundered, criticizing the government for allowing the US to dictate the terms of the trade deal.

Highlighting the importance of ‘Data’ as the strategic fuel for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Rahul argued that India’s massive population is its biggest strength, not a weakness. He asserted that if the US wants to protect the dominance of the Dollar and challenge China, it desperately needs Indian data. However, he alleged that the Prime Minister has handed over control of digital trade rules and data localization to the US for free. “We have given America a 20-year tax holiday and free data flow without securing our own interests,” he claimed, adding that an INDIA bloc government would have used this data as a bargaining chip to protect Indian farmers and energy security.

Rahul also raised concerns over the sudden spike in tariffs and the opening of Indian markets to American agricultural products like corn and soybean. He pointed out the disparity where India’s tariffs have jumped from 3% to 18%, while neighboring Bangladesh enjoys zero duty on certain imports. “The US will now decide who we buy oil from. Our Prime Minister will no longer have the final say,” Rahul warned, calling it a compromise of national sovereignty. He concluded by telling Trump that India should not be equated with Pakistan, emphasizing that any deal must be based on mutual respect and equal footing.