Govt sold Bharat Mata, it's a wholesale surrender: Rahul on India-US trade deal
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the government has "sold Bharat Mata" through the India-US interim trade deal and that it was a "wholesale surrender" with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised.
Participating in the debate on the Union Budget, he said that had an INDIA Bloc government negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told US President Donald Trump that he should treat India as an equal.
"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 LoP said energy security has gone under the India-US trade deal, and the US will decide "whom we buy oil from".
Gandhi said the interests of the farmers have been compromised, and the farmers are facing a "storm" as agricultural products from the US will flood Indian markets.
He also alleged that the Indian textile industry is "finished".
The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval had stated that the era of war is over. "But the fact is, we are moving into the era of war."
"Moving into a dangerous world, we have to understand our strengths, and the central strength of our country is our people," he pointed out.
He underlined the need to protect country's people, data, food supply and energy system.
VIDEO | Speaking on India-US trade deal during Budget discussion in Lok Sabha, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) says, "3 per cent was average tariffs, now it is 18 per cent, 6x increase; US imports to go up from $46 billion to $146… pic.twitter.com/3oRKpoleSV
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 11, 2026
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Wait for DGCA probe to conclude in Ajit Pawar plane crash case, says CM Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said a crucial probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is underway into the plane crash that killed Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, and urged that conclusions be drawn only after the investigation ends.
Fadnavis said the aircraft's black box had already been recovered and that investigations on all fronts had commenced.
Pawar and four others were killed when the Learjet aircraft crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28.
Describing the DGCA inquiry into the incident as "very important", Fadnavis stressed the need to wait for its findings.
The CM was talking to reporters here in response to a question about Ajit Pawar's nephew and MLA Rohit Pawar's claims and concerns regarding the plane crash.
Rohit Pawar on Tuesday raised several questions regarding the sequence of events leading up to the plane crash. He alleged that there was a reason to suspect sabotage in the tragic incident that killed his uncle Ajit Pawar, and demanded a comprehensive probe by multiple expert agencies.
Fadnavis said, "I have not personally seen what Rohit Pawar said. I am somewhat aware of it. I believe that if anyone has any doubts, they should be addressed. From this perspective, the investigative agencies available under Indian law have already begun the kind of investigation expected in such cases."
The chief minister said he was the first to write to the Union aviation ministry seeking a detailed probe into the accident that claimed the lives of Pawar, the pilot, the co-pilot and two others.
"If we can learn from the errors or shortcomings in our civil aviation sector, we can fix them and make it safer for civilians and leaders as well," he said.
