During the discussion on the budget in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi made a scathing attack on the government on the India-US interim trade agreement. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ‘sold’ the country. On this, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hit back and said that it was the Congress’s UPA government that had ‘sold’ the country and ‘hyphenated’ India with Pakistan.
Finance Minister mentioned Sharm el Sheikh
Nirmala Sitharaman said, ‘Congress itself has sold the country, the farmers, the poor and the nation. You hyphenated India with Pakistan. Kiren Rijiju had rightly said that no one has been born till date who can sell India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never do so.
The Finance Minister referred to the 2009 Sharm el Sheikh (Egyptian city) Joint Statement, where a meeting was held between former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani. This meeting took place just seven months after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Sitharaman said, ‘Those who wanted to talk to Pakistan in Sharm el Sheikh are now advising us on talks.’
Those who wanted to negotiate with Pakistan at Sharm-al-Sheikh are now giving us suggestions on negotiations.
It is the Congress which sold the government, farmers, the poor and the nation. It was you who hyphenated India with Pakistan.
Shree @KirenRijiju said it rightly not a… pic.twitter.com/dORMOsjMh2
— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) February 11, 2026
Congress itself has sold the country: Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman further said that the UPA government had also weakened India’s interests in the Bali meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The 2013 agreement compromised the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the peace clause on public stockholding (food security), selling out the interests of the poor and farmers. He said, ‘Congress not only sold the interests of the poor and farmers, but also sold the country itself.’
What did Rahul Gandhi say in the House?
Rahul Gandhi alleged in the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ‘sold’ India through this deal and this is ‘wholesale surrender’. Rahul Gandhi said that this agreement is a surrender not just of the Prime Minister but of the future of 1.5 billion Indians. Rahul said, ‘You have sold India. Aren’t you ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother Bharat Mata.
Rahul Gandhi raised questions on many aspects of the India-US trade deal and said that India’s energy security has been handed over to America. Now America will decide whether India should buy oil from Russia or not. Energy and finance are being weaponized globally, but the government allowed America to use this weapon. India’s data was handed over to America, the need for data localization was abolished, free data flow was allowed, digital tax was capped, there was no need to show source code and foreign companies were given 20 years of tax exemption.
