Overview
- In a new video, Rahul Gandhi alleged the interim pact “cheats” cotton growers and textile exporters, citing an 18% US tariff on Indian garments versus zero duty for Bangladesh contingent on importing American cotton, and said a minister told him India would need to import US cotton to gain similar terms.
- Gandhi met representatives of roughly 17 farmer unions in Parliament and discussed plans for a nationwide movement to oppose the agreement over feared hits to incomes in cotton, corn, soybean, fruits, and nuts.
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rejected the allegations as a fake narrative, asserting that farmers’ interests are fully safeguarded and that sensitive areas like dairy and poultry remain closed under the framework.
- Goyal pointed to controls such as quotas and a minimum import price on apples, argued recent FTAs open a large potential market for Indian textiles, and said Bangladesh would still need Indian cotton given limited US export surplus.
- The dispute triggered sharp exchanges in the Lok Sabha and an online back‑and‑forth, with BJP leaders calling Gandhi’s farmer meeting stage‑managed as the interim agreement continues under heightened political scrutiny.