‘People of India have right to know’: Mallikarjun Kharge questions secrecy around US trade deal, seeks clarity in Parliament

File photo: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge (Picture credit: ANI)

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday raised questions over the way the India–US trade deal was announced, saying the government had failed to take Parliament and the public into confidence despite the House being in session.In a post on X, Kharge said India and the United States have shared a strong global strategic partnership for several years, rooted in common democratic values. He pointed to the Indo–US civil nuclear agreement signed during the tenure of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh as an example of transparent and accountable decision-making. Kharge said the Congress-led UPA government had kept Parliament informed at every stage while finalising that landmark deal.He contrasted this with the present situation, saying the country knows “nothing” about the trade agreement announced by US President Donald Trump. Kharge noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public response focused only on thanking Trump for cutting tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent, without offering any details of the deal itself.“Parliament is in session, but the Modi government chose an outside platform to talk about the deal, without sharing any specifics,” Kharge said in his post.

The Congress chief flagged three major concerns that, according to him, remain unanswered. He asked whether India had made any compromises under pressure from the United States and whether New Delhi had agreed to zero tariffs on American imports, as claimed by President Trump. Kharge also sought clarity on the impact of the deal on Indian farmers, questioning whether the agriculture sector had been fully or partially opened to US agricultural products.In addition, he raised concerns about energy ties with Moscow, asking whether India would stop buying oil from Russia and what message, if any, had been conveyed to the Russian side. The Kremlin stated on Tuesday that it has not received any official communication from New Delhi regarding the suspension of crude oil trade.“Parliament and 140 crore people of India have the right to know,” Kharge said.The questions come amid growing political debate over the India–US trade framework, under which Washington has agreed to lower tariffs on Indian exports to 18 per cent from much higher levels. The agreement has been announced at the framework level, with several details yet to be made public.Defending the deal in the Lok Sabha, Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India had successfully protected its sensitive sectors, especially agriculture and dairy, after nearly a year of negotiations. He said discussions had been ongoing since Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US in February 2025 and that the final outcome was balanced and mutually beneficial. Goyal also stressed that energy security remained a top priority for the government.Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified his attack on the Prime Minister, alleging that PM Modi was “under pressure” and had been “compromised” in finalising the deal. The Congress has demanded that the full details of the trade agreement be placed before Parliament, particularly on agriculture, tariffs and India’s oil purchases from Russia.