Rajya Sabha MPs criticise Government over trade deal

Opposition party MPs in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday criticised the Government on the finalisation of the India-US trade deal, alleging New Delhi “succumbed” to America’s economic expansionism while failing to protect the interests of farmers and demanded that the Centre clarify on US President Donald Trump’s claim regarding Indian oil purchases.

The comments came a day after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela.” Participating in the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha, Rajani Ashokrao Patil of the Congress stated, “It is being said that India will open its agriculture sector to the US.

If you (Govt) do not protect farmers, if you open their agricultural market... Trump has said that USD 500 billion worth of purchases are going to take place... It is essential for Parliament and the nation to know on which aspects the Prime Minister held discussions with Trump”. She also referred to the claim that India will no longer buy Russian oil and instead purchase it from the US and Venezuela, seeking to know whether India will desert its long-term ally (in an apparent reference to Russia) and urged the Government to clarify on all these issues in Parliament.

Ritabrata Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress alleged that “the Union Government has succumbed to economic expansionism of the USA, accepting all terms dictated upon by Trump on purchases of oil from the US and Venezuela instead of Russia”.