New Delhi: The India-US interim commerce deal got here underneath extreme criticism from the Opposition within the Lok Sabha Tuesday throughout the debate on the Union Funds, with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor dubbing it a “pre-committed buy settlement” that overturns each precept of reciprocity.

Initiating the talk after the Home logjam ended following the Opposition’s discover for a movement to take away Speaker Om Birla, Tharoor mentioned he was shocked by New Delhi’s willingness to purchase USD 500 billion price of American items. By the way, he famous, India at present has a commerce surplus of practically USD 45 billion with the US.

Tharoor additionally questioned the Centre’s declare that it has secured a “higher deal” than China, Vietnam, or different Asian economies. “Whereas India has obtained tariff reductions of 1 or two proportion factors in comparison with them, no East Asian financial system has agreed to intentionally dilute its commerce surplus with the USA via assured buy commitments,” he mentioned.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, who had supported the Centre’s place on Operation Sindoor, disagreeing along with his personal social gathering, additionally took a swipe at Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for sidestepping questions on India’s purported dedication to the US on not buying oil from Russia.

“When the 2 ministers play ping-pong with one another, saying it isn’t of their mandate to reply the questions, every one attributes it to the opposite, which seems like a moderately disappointing recreation. When no minister claims possession of one thing like this, accountability disappears, and Parliament is left gazing a Funds that conceals obligations the federal government appears to lack the braveness to confess brazenly,” he mentioned.

Samajwadi Celebration chief Akhilesh Yadav, who additionally spoke throughout the debate, mentioned the “one-sided” deal, which might “flood Indian markets” with US agricultural merchandise, would harm the pursuits of Indian farmers. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee mentioned whereas the commerce deal stands to learn American farmers, “it is going to depress costs, destroy competitiveness, and additional marginalise Indian farmers.”

Exterior Parliament too, the Congress focused the Modi authorities over the deal, first introduced by US President Donald Trump on 2 February. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge mentioned the White Home truth sheet on the settlement, launched on Tuesday, raised extra troubling questions.

Referring to the actual fact sheet, he pointed to the doc’s declare that India will get rid of or scale back tariffs on all US industrial items and a variety of US meals and agricultural merchandise, together with dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), crimson sorghum, tree nuts, recent and processed fruit, sure pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and extra merchandise.

“Now we all know what ‘extra merchandise’ truly meant within the Indo-US joint assertion agreed by the Modi authorities. ‘Pulses’ have been silently added within the newly launched White Home truth sheet of February 9, which was not a part of the Indo-US joint assertion issued on February 6, 2026. The utility of crimson sorghum imports to India was talked about within the joint assertion, however that utility pertaining to ‘animal feed’ has now mysteriously vanished within the White Home truth sheet of February 9, 2026,” Kharge wrote on X.

The Rajya Sabha Chief of Opposition harassed that by granting Bangladesh zero-duty entry for utilizing American cotton, Washington has successfully incentivised Bangladesh over Indian farmers to save lots of their very own margins.

“As textile hubs like Tirupur and Surat are shackled by 18% taxes, our neighbour features a 0% fast-track, dealing a deadly “double whammy” to Indian cotton and clothes alike. Is that this a victory or a PR- wrapped betrayal that sacrifices India’s strategic nationwide pursuits and export engine on the altar of Epstein Information?” Kharge added.

(Edited by Varnika Dhawan)

Additionally Learn: In a primary since 1987, Oppn seeks to take away Speaker, accuses Om Birla of being ‘blatantly partisan’