Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the central government of “misleading the country” through the proposed India–US interim trade arrangement, claiming that the agreement could seriously harm India’s cotton farmers and textile exporters. In a series of posts on social media, Gandhi argued that the tariff structure emerging from the discussions would disadvantage Indian garment manufacturers, who could face duties of around 18 percent when exporting to the United States, while competing nations could enjoy more favourable terms.
He pointed to Bangladesh, which he said has been offered a zero-duty benefit for garment exports to the US, subject to the condition that it imports American cotton. Gandhi alleged that if India were to seek a similar concession, it might be required to rely on imported US cotton, a move he warned would negatively impact domestic cotton growers. According to him, such a policy would create a difficult situation in which either farmers or textile exporters would suffer losses.
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The remarks drew a rebuttal from Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who defended the government’s approach and said trade negotiations are aimed at strengthening India’s long-term competitiveness. Gandhi, however, insisted that any trade deal must safeguard both agricultural producers and manufacturing exporters, arguing that millions of livelihoods depend on the cotton and textile sectors.
