New Delhi

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday sharply rebutted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the India-US trade deal, accusing him of spreading "stage-managed", "artificial" and "baseless" narratives and attempting to mislead Indian farmers.

He termed Gandhi's claims as "fake" and "fabricated", asserting that they were aimed at confusing hardworking annadatas (farmers) and provoking sentiment against the government's economic policy.

In his X post, Goyal posted a video, saying, "Mr Rahul Gandhi has once again rolled out a stage-managed, most artificial & fake narrative. This time, he is shooting from the shoulders of a few Congress Party activists, who are pretending to be farmer leaders - in a completely artificial, & baseless conversation. Let me now do a reality check on Rahul ji's fakery & expose him & his friends for misguiding our innocent, hardworking annadatas, whose interests have been fully protected by the Modi government in the India-US trade deal. "

Farzi Rahul Gandhi… pic.twitter.com/lMMWhj7kKm

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 13, 2026

Union Minister added that the interests of all farmers have been "fully protected" under the trade agreement. He emphasised that the deal would also benefit fishermen, youth, MSMEs and startups.

"When I say fully protected, I say it on record & with full responsibility, we have protected the interests of all our farmers, & this is an agreement that will help our farmers, fishermen, hardworking youth, MSMEs, startups. Rahul Gandhi, today you stand completely exposed as a drama artist and a relentless peddler of fake, baseless allegations and fabricated stories," he stated in the video.

This comes after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "betrayed India's farmers", claiming that the interim India-US trade deal poses a direct threat to their livelihoods.

Sharing a post on X, the Rae Bareli MP wrote, "Narendra 'surrender' Modi has betrayed India's farmers and the farmers have realised this. This isn't just a trade deal; it's a direct assault on the livelihoods of our food providers."

नरेंद्र “surrender” मोदी ने भारत के किसानों के साथ विश्वासघात किया है - और किसान यह बात समझ चुके हैं।

यह सिर्फ़ एक व्यापार समझौता नहीं है, बल्कि हमारे अन्नदाताओं की आजीविका पर सीधा हमला है।

संसद में आज किसान यूनियनों के प्रतिनिधिमंडल से मुलाक़ात में उनकी चिंता साफ़ दिखी।… pic.twitter.com/YwfnJBMVcD

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 13, 2026

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said the concerns were evident during a meeting with a delegation of farmers' unions in Parliament.

"In today's meeting in Parliament with the delegation from farmers' unions, their concerns were clearly evident. Farmers struggling with inflation, rising costs, and uncertainty over MSP are now being left unprepared to face foreign crops backed by massive subsidies and mechanical might," he wrote.

Gandhi criticised what he described as one-sided pressure in the negotiations. "This isn't a fair fight; it's one-sided pressure. The government's hollow assurances won't work anymore. The future of farmers cannot be bartered away without their consent," he added.

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Reaffirming his party's support, he said, "Come what may, I and the Congress Party stand with India's food providers for their rights, security, and dignity."

Meanwhile, in a meeting at his Parliament office, Rahul Gandhi met a delegation representing 17 major farmer unions from across the country to discuss the interim trade deal.