'Bartering Of National Interests For A Trade Deal Is Unacceptable': Congress MP Randeep Surjewala

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre over the recent India-US Trade Deal saying, "bartering of national interests” for an agreement is unacceptable.

Addressing a press conference here, Surjewala said trade agreements are a path to economic progress. "These deals must be founded upon equality and guided by the welfare of the people. Trade deals can never become a pathway of slavery or surrender of sovereignty. Our national interests and people’s welfare cannot be sacrificed at the altar of trade agreements," he said.

The Congress MP said that India’s 144 crore people will never accept this. The Modi government has sacrificed the interests of India’s farms and farmers, he said.

Claiming that the India-US Trade Deal is a betrayal to the farmers, Surjewala said, "It is a direct attack on the lives and livelihoods of India’s farmers by permitting imports of American agricultural and food products. In the very first point of the 'Framework Agreement', India has agreed to open its market to American food and agricultural products."

"The first major item of import from America is Dried Distillers Grains (DDG), which is actually processed maize (corn). India produced 430 lakh metric tonnes of maize in 2025-26, mainly in the states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Gujarat. In contrast, America produces 42.50 crore metric tonnes of maize annually and desperately needs a huge market like India to sell its surplus," he said.

Surjewala asked if duty-free American maize floods the Indian market, what will happen to Indian farmers.

"Forcing India to buy $500 billion (Rs 45 lakh crore) American goods in five years, is this in national interest? In 2024, India exported $81 billion goods to America and imported $43 billion, giving India a trade surplus of $38 billion. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US in February 13, 2025, the Joint Statement spoke of increasing 'mutual trade' to $500 billion. At that time, this trade was not stipulated to be one-sided. But in the February 6 trade agreement, this was completely overturned," he said.

Posing a volley of questions, Surjewala said, "Is this trade agreement based on equality or coercion? And why is the Modi government accepting it?"

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