5 min readFeb 14, 2026 07:27 AM IST
First published on: Feb 14, 2026 at 07:17 AM IST
The Opposition has every right to raise legitimate questions over the India-US trade deal, concluded last week following a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. But, rather than engaging with it, it appeared more interested in stalling Parliament and making wild allegations against the leader of the government. The government, on its part, repeatedly clarified both inside and outside Parliament that those allegations were not based on facts.
The last time a bilateral agreement generated so much heat and dust was two decades ago during UPA-1. When the Manmohan Singh-led government sought to push through the India-US Nuclear Deal after 2005, there were prolonged debates in Parliament. It took three full years to finally see the deal through in October 2008. During those animated debates, it was not just the principal opposition party, the BJP, that raised serious concerns about certain clauses. Even the Left parties, which were supporting the government, took strong objection and finally withdrew support from the government, forcing a confidence vote in Parliament.
The debates on the India-US nuclear deal were a treat for discerning viewers. Those were focused and constructive debates, both inside and outside Parliament, that saw not only lawmakers but eminent nuclear experts like A N Prasad and P K Iyengar stepping in, raising pointed concerns over issues like the Hyde Act, possible constraints on future nuclear tests, etc.
We miss such constructive debates in Parliament these days. This time, the Opposition sounded more cacophonous than constructive. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi resorted to undignified personal attacks and mean insinuations against the government rather than raising any specific and substantial objections to the deal. Inside Parliament, he accused the government of selling India. “Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata”, he theatrically harangued. The Gandhi scion sought to raise extraneous issues like the Epstein files, Ambani and Adani to insinuate that Modi was “under pressure”, “compromised”, and “surrendered”. He sounded amateurish when he bombastically claimed that “they are choking him… when you choke, you see fear in the eyes. You can see it in PM’s eyes”.
Many experts tried to remind the Opposition that the trade deal between India and the US was happening under extraordinary global circumstances. All such bilateral agreements in the past were arrived at under the protective umbrella of multilateral institutions like the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Unfortunately, we entered a chaotic and disorderly world, and President Trump is not only the instigator-in-chief but also the exploiter of that disorder. While country after country surrendered to his whimsical demands, India stood its ground for almost a year and concluded the deal on mutually satisfactory terms. In the end, eminent economists like Jeffrey Sachs called it the backing down of the US. Sachs averred appreciatively that “Modi did a good job. He kept calm and handled the situation wisely”.
No deal can be one-sided. But the available details clearly suggest that India got the best deal in the given circumstances. Contrary to the Opposition’s propaganda, the agriculture sector has been zealously safeguarded by our negotiators not only with the US deal but even in earlier trade deals with Australia, the EU and New Zealand. All major agricultural products like pulses, grains, cereals, millets and vegetables, dairy products like milk and cheese, animal products like poultry and meat, and other items like oilseeds, groundnuts, honey, beverages and essential oils have been fully protected. If India’s agreement to reduce tariffs on certain animal feeds like dried distillers’ grains is seen as negatively impacting the animal feed industry, it should also be seen as positively benefiting poultry- and other animal-rearing farmers.
The Opposition seems to have misconstrued the delay in clinching the deal and attributed it to US pressure. A major chunk of the deal was finalised by officials of the Indian Commerce Ministry and the US Department of Commerce several months ago. What delayed the final agreement was President Trump’s attempts at mixing trade with geopolitics and invoking the India-Pak conflict repeatedly. Indian officials categorically conveyed to their US counterparts that as long as such a mix-up continues, it cannot seal the deal. It was only after that episode had ended that the two leaders spoke, and the deal was announced immediately.
In the end, India’s refusal to link trade with geopolitics and the Nobel prize worked, whereas the US’s efforts to browbeat India didn’t.
Rahul Gandhi seems hell-bent on using the trade deal debate to attack the Prime Minister. But the reality is that when the ruling party members ridiculed Rahul Gandhi, the jibes stuck. When the LoP tried to call the Prime Minister “coward”, “vote chor”, “compromised” and “surrendered”, nobody took him seriously. Far from denting PM’s image, the episode once again highlighted the irresponsible and unbecoming behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition.
The writer, president, India Foundation, is with the BJP
