New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Leader of opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, alleging that the UPA government compromised national interests during its tenure.
Replying in the Lok Sabha, she claimed that the 2013 WTO agreement was signed in a manner detrimental to Indian farmers, thereby weakening the country’s bargaining power. Sitharaman also referred to the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Statement, accusing the UPA regime of diluting India’s position on sovereignty and security in its engagement with Pakistan.
"PM Modi will always act in India's interest whereas Congress govt surrendered before WTO, sold poor, farmers during its regime," Sitharaman said in the Lower House, reacting to Gandhi's 'Bharat Mata sold' remark.
She also responded to concerns expressed by Gandhi over AI and data and said “…I would like to answer all his (Rahul Gandhi’s) points. He expressed concerns over AI and data, that India’s data is going out to foreign countries. This is not correct," she said in the Lok Sabha. “We are incentivising data centres through which data can remain in India and Indian youth can get jobs. Without understanding this, he is saying we are giving our data to foreign countries."
Earlier in the day, Gandhi delivered a fiery speech, firing salvos at the government over the recently announced trade deal with the United States.
Attacking the government, Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “sold Bharat Mata” to the US and termed the interim trade deal one-sided.
“You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata,” he said referring to the trade agreement.
Sitharaman further slammed Gandhi over his “traitor" remark about his former party colleague Ravneet Singh Bittu. She said while the Congress leader told Jagdambika Pal, who was on the Chair, that he respects him for his past in the Congress, he did not show the same courtesy to Bittu, also formerly from the Congress.
