Bhopal: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the US India trade agreement saying how Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the deal under pressure from President Donald Trump and asked him to cancel the deal.
Kharge also took a sharp dig at the BJP saying that the grand old party does not have a Godse but have a Gandhi as both of them defended the Youth Congress for staging protest at aI Impact Summit at Bharata Mandapam in Delhi and said that the Congress won’t fear from such tactics.
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, both had arrived in Bhopal to address the party’s Kisan Mahachaupal here against the US India trade agreement. Several senior leaders from the party were also present along with hundreds of party workers who had come from different parts of the state.
Addressing party workers and farmers, Kharge stated, “On the day you mortgaged our self-respect to Trump, our dignity was lost that very day.”
While emphasising that those accusing the Youth Congress of insulting the nation were instead responsible for undermining it.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, he said, “When the Commonwealth Games were held in the country, BJP people stopped vehicles and waved black flags. Today the same people are accusing the Congress of insulting the nation.”
“While the Congress party has saved the nation’s honour and sacrificed lives for the country,” he said.
“Congress never takes anyone’s life. We don’t have a ‘Godse’ like the BJP does, we have ‘Gandhi’. And today, to fight the youth’s battle, we have Rahul Gandhi,” the Congress leader said.
I congratulate the Youth Congress companions who went before Narendra Modi and made it clear
Hailing the youth Congress workers, Kharge said, “The poor do not have food, they are going hungry. The youth of the country are on the streets due to lack of jobs. Our farmers are extremely distressed, do not make trade deals. But the Modi government called it an insult to the country. The real insult to the country happened when Modi pledged our pride before Trump.”
Taking a sharp dig at PM Modi, he said, “I have been in politics for 60 years, but I have never seen such a Prime Minister.. who cannot even make eye contact with the opposition, who cannot put forth his point in the House, who cannot even hold a single press conference. He speaks his mind on Sundays through his ‘Mann ki Baat’ but doesn’t come to Parliament on Mondays…””
He said that Narendra Modi is trying to scare the Congress, but we are not the ones to be scared.
“The Congress party drove the British away and attained independence. While the ancestors of BJP were surrendering and writing apologies,” he said.
“Our workers fought the British, while yours surrendered to them… If you were patriots, you wouldn’t bow down to Trump, you wouldn’t rub your nose in front of him,” Kharge thundered at the Jawahar Chowk.
Targeting the Prime Minister, Kharge said, “PM Modi is selling the country and pushing the farmers into slavery… I have never seen a Prime Minister so timid that he can’t even look another person in the eye in Parliament.
Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “Narendra Modi has always called the US President Trump his friend. He used to boast about their friendship saying ‘we even talk over tea’.”
Firing salvos at the Prime Minister, the Congress leader asked, “But what exactly did Modi talk about with Trump? Were they discussing selling the country? Were they discussing selling the farmers? Were they discussing putting us into slavery? And in my entire life, I have never seen such a cowardly Prime Minister.”
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Modi has sold India to America to “save his image and political future”.
“But… now Narendra Modi cannot be saved. No power can save him anymore,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Rahul Gandhi also challenged the Prime Minister to cancel the US India trade deal in the wake of Supreme Court dubbing Trump tariff as illegal.
He said, “I challenge PM Modi from this platform: Since the US Supreme Court has given its decision on the deal, cancel the deal with America.”
He said that in the deal, PM Modi handed over the country’s data to America.
While coming out in support of youth Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi said, “I want to tell our Youth Congress workers that you are lions; you won’t be afraid of Modi. You have the blood of Congress, you have the blood of patriotism.”
He then went to say that when Narendra Modi gives a speech, look into his eyes and “you will see fear in his eyes.”
He also alleged that the Prime Minister was scared as millions of Epstein files are held up in the US; there are videos and messages which have not been released.
He said that Hardeep Puri’s name was released to threaten him. “PM Modi must clear his relationship with Anil Ambani?… Adani is not a small company; it is the BJP’s financial structure. Adani faces criminal charges in the US. He cannot go to the US or Europe. The target of the case in the US is Modi, not Adani… These were the two reasons why Modi withdrew from Parliament. He left and called Trump, saying, ‘Sir, I’m ready to do whatever you say’, and he sold the country… Narendra Modi is compromised; he was trapped and forced to sign the US-India trade deal…”
He also pointed out that the trade agreement with the United States was stalled for four months because it involved agriculture and agricultural products.
“India’s farmers, farm workers, and even the government didn’t want this. After leaving Parliament in the evening, Modi called Trump… He lied, pretended that Congress women MPs were about to attack, but instead called directly and said he was ready to do the deal,” he claimed.
He also pointed out that he was not allowed to speak in Lok Sabha during the motion of thanks to the President’s address.
“For the first time in the history this year, the Leader of Opposition was not allowed to speak in Lok Sabha. As soon as I started the speech, I was interrupted,” he said
The Gandhi scion said, “When he brought up the issue of the former Army chief General MM Naravane (Retd) book mentioning that when the Chinese tanks were entering the Indian boundary, he called Rajnath Singh for the orders, but did not get an answer. He said that even Ajit Doval and S Jaishankar did not answer… The decision of war is taken by the Prime Minister, but the PM did not answer, he hid in his room and asked the Army Chief to do whatever he deems fit… The Army Chief wrote that he was left alone by the Indian government that day…”