New Delhi | Opposition party MPs in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday took on the government on the finalisation of the India-US trade deal, alleging New Delhi "succumbed" to America's economic expansionism while failing to protect the interests of farmers and demanded that the Centre clarify on US President Donald Trump's claim regarding Indian oil purchases.
The comments came a day after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela." Participating in the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha, Rajani Ashokrao Patil of the Congress stated, "It is being said that India will open its agriculture sector to the US.
If you (govt) do not protect farmers, if you open their agricultural market... Trump has said that USD 500 billion worth of purchases are going to take place... It is essential for Parliament and the nation to know on which aspects the Prime Minister held discussions with Trump".
She also referred to the claim that India will no longer buy Russian oil and instead purchase it from the US and Venezuela, seeking to know whether India will desert its long-term ally (in an apparent reference to Russia) and urged the government to clarify on all these issues in Parliament.
Ritabrata Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress alleged that "the Union government has succumbed to economic expansionism of the USA accepting all terms dictated upon by Trump on purchases of oil from US and Venezuela instead of Russia".
Besides, Congress' Patil claimed that the President's address to Parliament at the start of the Budget session "does not reflect the on-ground reality of citizens" and claimed that small and medium enterprises are struggling despite being the backbone of the Indian economy.
"India is standing as a mystery for the world not because of complexity because the government's claims no longer match ground reality. Headline GDP growth is being used as a shield to deflect attention from unemployment, poor education outcomes and widening inequality... Media freedom is shrinking, leaving citizens without reliable scrutiny of power," TMC's Banerjee alleged.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who spoke with PM Modi on Monday, announced that India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will charge a reduced reciprocal tariff on Delhi, lowering it from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.
Trump last year imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, including 25 per cent levies for its purchases of Russian energy.
India buys about 88 per cent of its crude oil, which is converted into fuels like petrol and diesel, from overseas.
