No debate on trade deal, Opp walks out; they are frustrated, says Nadda

Lashing out at the Congress, Nadda termed their conduct in the House as “irresponsible behaviour” and said their “frustration” was coming out.

“When the government is ready to give a detailed statement, this attitude of Congress and the INDI alliance is wrong. Their way is threatening to democracy. This is Congress’s irresponsible behaviour. It is their frustration which is speaking,” he said.

On late Monday night, the first indication of the deal came after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor posted on Truth Social, “President Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. STAY TUNED…” Then President Trump posted on Truth Social that “we agreed to a Trade Deal”. “… He agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela…” he said.

Thanking Trump, PM Modi said on X that he was “delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%.”

In Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, soon after the Zero Hour ended, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh raised the issue of the Indo-US trade deal, alleging that information about the deal was being received from Washington instead. With Opposition mem­bers protesting in the House, Nadda said the US President informed about the reduction in tariffs on Indian goods through a post on social media and also spoke to PM Modi.

Chairman C P Radhakrishnan said that when the government was ready to issue a statement and also discuss it, why were the Opposition members creating an uproar.

Hitting out at the Opposition, Nadda then said, “It is your frustration which is speaking. We are ready… Their interest is only in creating politics out of everything, and we saw an example of that just now… They are trying to create an atmosphere in the country as if the government is avoiding a discussion.”

Several Opposition MPs from the Rajya Sabha, including Congress’s Ramesh, Digvijaya Singh and Randeep Surjewal, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, RJD’s Manoj Jha, among others, protested on the Parliament premises and alleged that the interests of farmers in India had been compromised by the government.

The Congress has demanded the complete details of the trade deal, raising questions over several key aspects, such as claims of the agriculture sector being opened up, calling for the reduction of tariffs to zero, and a pause on the purchase of Russian oil, as claimed by Trump.

On Tuesday, the Congress demanded that the Modi government take Parliament into confidence on the details of both the EU and US trade deals, while alleging that the government has “completely surrendered its interests to Washington”. In a post on X, the Congress said, “Just like the ceasefire, the announcement of the trade deal was also made by US President Trump. It has been stated that the trade deal is being done ‘on Modi’s request’.”