The fact that parliamentarians came to know about the India–US trade deal from President Trump and not from our own government is a serious insult to Parliament

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday strongly criticised the proposed India–US trade deal, alleging that it would severely harm Indian farmers and weaken the country’s agriculture sector.

Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Upper House, Kharge claimed the government was acting against the interests of farmers by agreeing to terms that favour the United States. He said the deal would allow American agricultural imports into India at zero tariff, while Indian exports to the US would continue to face duties of up to 18 per cent.

Quoting US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Kharge pointed out that the deal was projected to boost American farm exports to India’s “massive markets,” raising prices and injecting money into rural America. “This clearly means American farmers will benefit. The question is — is the government working for Indian farmers or against them?” he asked.

Kharge alleged that the agreement would lead to an influx of cheaper American farm products, hurting domestic producers and threatening livelihoods in the agriculture sector. He accused the government of attempting to “destroy” Indian agriculture through such trade policies.

The Congress leader also objected to the manner in which the trade deal was made public. He said it was an insult to Parliament that lawmakers learned about the agreement through a social media post by US President Donald Trump while Parliament was in session, instead of being informed by the Indian government.

“The fact that parliamentarians came to know about the India–US trade deal from President Trump and not from our own government is a serious insult to Parliament,” Kharge said, adding that it appeared as though directions on how India should function were being issued from the US.

Earlier this week, Trump announced that India and the US had agreed on a trade arrangement following a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under which reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods would be reduced from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.