Opposition MPs protest in Parliament complex against India-U.S. trade agreement

Opposition MPs on Thursday staged a protest in Parliament House complex over the India-U.S. interim trade deal, accusing the government of “surrendering” Indian interests.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, DMK’s T.R. Baalu, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav and Jaya Bachchan, CPI-ML’s Sudama Prasad, among others, participated in the protest near the Makar Dwar of Parliament.

With a huge banner that read “trap deal” and carrying ‘Narender Surrender’ posters, the MPs raised slogans such as “U.S. deal hai atyachari” and “desh ko bechna bandh karo”. 

Later, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with other Congress MPs, including those who have been recently suspended, stood on the steps of Makar Dwar and protested against the government over the deal.

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government ignored the voices of workers and farmers while making decisions concerning their future and asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will listen to them now or if there is a “grip” on him too strong. 

PTI