US tariffs on India jump 6x to 18%, Rahul Gandhi slams trade deal with Donald Trump

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi slammed the recently concluded India-US trade deal during the Budget Session of Parliament on Wednesday. He largely emphasied on leveraging the power of Indian data to boost development in the country. Calling the recently concluded trade deal with US "absurd", he said that India's earlier 3% of US tariff has now gone up to 18%, reporting a 6 times increase.

India concluded an interim trade agreement with US earlier this February, under which US President Donald Trump has slashed reciprocal tariffs on India from 25% to 18%, also removing the additional 25% tariff levied because of New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil.

Also read: ‘Data is the new power’: Rahul Gandhi blasts budget, slams US trade deal in fiery parliament speech

How INDIA bloc would negotiate trade deal with US

Outlining how the INDIA bloc could have negotiated the deal with Trump in a better way, he said that the alliance would have said that most important thing in this equation is Indian data. "If we were negotiating with President Trump, we would say that Indian data is the most important asset and key to protecting the dollar," he said.

Listing three conditions that the INDIA bloc would lay during negotiations with US for a trade deal, he said, "President Trump, if you want access to this data, then please understand that you are going to talk to us as an equal. You're not going to talk to us as if we are your subordinates."

"Second thing we would say is Mr Trump, please understand that our energy security is our energy security. No matter what happens, we are going to protect our energy security," he added.

"The third thing we would say is, President Trump, we understand that you have a voter base, an agricultural voter base. We understand that you need to protect your farmers, but we will also protect our farmers..." he said in the Parliament.

He alleged that the Indian government has opened the doors to crush the country's poor farmers. " If Americans want to remain a superpower, protect their dollar, then key to that is Indian data," the Congress leader said. He also alleged that the Indian textile industry is "finished".

Also read: PM Modi surrendered before Trump, sold Mother India for trade deal, Rahul Gandhi says



Rahul Gandhi noted that data is going to transform India in the 21st century, the thing that is going to make us a superpower in the 21st century.

He claimed that the Narendra Modi-led government has given up control over digital trade rules under the trade deal with US.

Adding to the point, he said that the deal has eliminated the need for data localisation.

"Number three, free data flow to the United States. Number four, limit on digital tax. Number five, no need to disclose any source code...20-year free tax holiday to anybody who wants it, to the big tax company. This is what you've done on data..." the opposition leader said.

Also read: The revisions in India-US trade deal factsheet by White House

Allegation on selling India

Rahul Gandhi accused the Indian government of selling India, selling 'Bharat Mata' and dubbed the India-US interim trade agreement as one-sided which has hurt the interests of the farmers.

"You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata," he said while referring to the trade agreement.

"The interesting thing is that I know that the Prime Minister would not sell India under normal circumstances. You know why he sold India? Because they are choking him. They have got a grip on his neck... We can see fear in the eyes of the Prime Minister," he claimed.

Participating in the debate on the Union Budget, he said the interests of the farmers have been compromised as agricultural products from the US will flood Indian markets.