The BJP on Wednesday strongly attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he accused the government of “selling Bharat Mata” through the India-US interim trade deal. The party called him the “wisest fool in Congressdom” and said his statements had lowered the dignity of Parliament.

Rahul Gandhi, while speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Union Budget, launched a sharp attack on the government over the India-US trade agreement. He described the deal as a “wholesale surrender” and claimed it was harming India’s interests. He alleged that the agreement was made to “protect the BJP’s financial architecture, on which there is a case in the United States”.

“This is complete surrender. It is a tragedy because it is a surrender not just of the Prime Minister. He has surrendered the future of 1.5 billion Indians. He has surrendered the future because he wants to protect the BJP's financial architecture on which there is a case in the United States,” Gandhi said.

He further said that if an INDIA bloc government had negotiated the agreement with the US, it would have told US President Donald Trump that India must be treated as an equal partner.

Gandhi also accused the government of compromising India’s energy security under the deal. He claimed the US would decide “whom we buy oil from” and warned that the agreement would harm farmers as American agricultural products would flood Indian markets.

“You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata,” Gandhi said, while referring to the trade pact.

He also claimed that the Indian textile industry was “finished” because of the agreement.

Soon after his speech, the BJP responded with a sharp counterattack. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, addressing a press briefing, accused Rahul Gandhi of dragging parliamentary decorum to its lowest point. He said the Leader of the Opposition had damaged the standards of political discourse and repeatedly made “absurd and false allegations” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Parliament has long been regarded as a symbol of the highest democratic standards. However, today, through the conduct, language and style of the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, a highly condemnable attempt was made to drag politics and parliamentary decorum to the lowest level,” Trivedi said.

He also said, “Once again, in their familiar, frustrated style, they have repeatedly levelled baseless and absurd allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dripping with envy.”

Trivedi further criticised the Congress and other opposition parties for their behaviour in the House. “There is a certain decorum expected in Parliament. But if one wishes to see street-level language and conduct inside the House, the behaviour of the Congress and other opposition parties speaks for itself,” he said.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also criticised Rahul Gandhi over his Lok Sabha speech. He alleged that Gandhi makes speeches filled with lies and baseless allegations and then leaves without listening to the government’s response.

“He never stays back to listen to the minister’s reply,” Rijiju said.

Rijiju also said, “It is very unfortunate that we don't have a very serious nature or a person with a serious character befitting the position of the leader of the opposition. Our party has taken a stand that we will counter Rahul Gandhi's lies outside, but inside the House, a notice will be issued. We will serve the notice to the Speaker. Rahul Gandhi has promised that he will authenticate, but I know he cannot authenticate because he lied. He lied on the house.”

Meanwhile, India and the United States recently reached a major Interim Trade Agreement aimed at reducing trade tensions and increasing bilateral commerce. The deal is linked to the goal of boosting trade between the two countries to USD 500 billion.

A key part of the agreement is tariff rationalisation. Under the deal, the US has reduced its reciprocal tariff rate on most Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. It has also removed punitive duties that were earlier imposed due to India’s purchase of Russian oil.

In return, India is expected to carry out a USD 500 billion purchase plan over the next five years. This purchase plan will mainly focus on US energy, including LNG and crude oil. It will also include aircraft and high-tech products such as GPUs.

The BJP’s attack on Rahul Gandhi comes as the political debate over the trade deal intensifies, with the Congress leader calling it a surrender and the ruling party calling his claims false and damaging to parliamentary standards.