Rahul claims India-US deal signed under pressure, cites Epstein Files
What's the story
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of compromising national interests by signing a United States-India trade deal. Speaking outside Parliament, Gandhi said that PM Modi's image is at stake due to "extreme pressure." He alleged that the PM was rattled and sold the country's hard work in this trade deal. "The main thing is that our PM is compromised," he said.
Parliamentary disruption
Gandhi not allowed to speak in Parliament
Gandhi's remarks came after he was not allowed to speak in Parliament during the Motion of Thanks to the President's address. "Modi ji is rattled. The (US-India) trade deal, which was stalled for the past few months, was signed....last night. There is extreme pressure on him. The public needs to think about this. For the first time, the LoP was not allowed to speak on the President's speech. Narendra Modi ji has sold your hard work in this trade deal."
Allegations explained
Gandhi cites 2 pressures on Modi
When asked what he meant by those "pressures," he referred to allegations linking Modi to the Epstein Files. "The Epstein Files contain even more that the US has not yet released," he said. Responding to the allegations, the Ministry of External Affairs said last week, "We have seen reports of an email message from the so-called Epstein files that has a reference to the Prime Minister and his visit to Israel."
MEA
Trashy ruminations by convicted criminal: MEA
It added, "Beyond the fact of the Prime Minister's official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt." Another pressure on Modi, according to Gandhi, is a case on Adani. "There is a case on Adani ji in the US, it is actually a case on Modi ji..These are the two pressure points," he said.
Deal
India-US deal
The India-US trade deal announced by US President Donald Trump will see the US reduce tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 18%. In return, India has agreed to stop importing Russian oil and instead purchase more than $500 billion worth of US energy, technology, agricultural, and other products. The US president also said that India would reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers against the US to zero as part of their agreement.