New Delhi

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he was prepared to face legal action or a privilege motion but would continue to oppose the India–US interim trade agreement, alleging that it harms farmers and weakens India’s food security.

In a video message posted on X, Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of compromising the interests of farmers through the trade framework with the United States.

“File an FIR, register a case, or bring a privilege motion — I will fight for the farmers,” Gandhi said in a Hindi post accompanying the video.

He argued that any trade arrangement that undermines farmers’ livelihoods or national food security is “anti-farmer” and claimed that the government had opened the agriculture sector to foreign competition without adequate safeguards.

“Farmers are the foundation of this country. By entering into this deal with the US, cotton, soybean, apple and fruit growers have been put at risk,” Gandhi said, alleging that foreign players have long sought access to India’s agricultural market.

The Congress leader further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had acted under external pressure, alleging that the “reins” of the government were in the hands of US President Donald Trump. He described the agreement as the beginning of broader market access for foreign agricultural products.

Gandhi also compared Indian farmers with their American counterparts, stating that US agriculture benefits from large-scale mechanisation and government subsidies, whereas Indian farmers largely operate on small landholdings and face resource constraints.

“If Indian farmers are made to compete with heavily subsidised American agriculture, they will not survive,” he said, adding that 99.5 per cent of India’s farmers are small and lack adequate institutional support.

He alleged that farmers were not consulted before finalising the agreement and claimed Parliament had not been provided full details of the trade framework.

“The promise was to double farmers’ incomes. Instead, their future has been put at stake,” Gandhi said, asserting that the Congress party would oppose the agreement both inside and outside Parliament.

Earlier, while participating in the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi had criticised the trade deal, alleging that Indian interests were being “surrendered.” Drawing an analogy from martial arts, he said that once a grip tightens into a chokehold, the opponent is forced to concede.

READ MORE: Muslim couple arrange wedding of their adopted Hindu son

The government has maintained that the interim trade framework is reciprocal and mutually beneficial, and has asserted that farmers’ interests have been safeguarded in the negotiations.