Opposition MPs Stage Parliament Protest, Call India-US Trade Pact a ‘Trap Deal’

New Delhi, Feb 12: Several Opposition leaders staged a demonstration inside the Parliament complex on Thursday, targeting the Centre over the interim India-US trade agreement and alleging it undermines the country’s economic priorities.
The protest saw participation from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, DMK’s T.R. Baalu, Samajwadi Party MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Jaya Bachchan, and CPI-ML’s Sudama Prasad, among others. Gathering near Makar Dwar, the MPs displayed banners branding the pact a “trap deal” and held placards critical of the government while raising slogans against the agreement.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later joined party MPs  including some recently suspended members on the steps of Makar Dwar to intensify the protest.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that key stakeholder concerns were overlooked during the negotiation process. He questioned whether the Prime Minister would heed the apprehensions of workers and farmers, warning that decisions affecting their future should not be taken without broader consultation.
Gandhi’s remarks followed his sharp criticism during the Lok Sabha debate on the Union Budget, where he described the pact as a “wholesale surrender.” He argued that the arrangement could impact India’s energy security and agricultural interests, and stressed the importance of safeguarding national assets such as data, food systems and critical infrastructure.
Using a martial arts analogy, the Congress leader cautioned that strategic concessions could gradually weaken India’s bargaining position. He maintained that a different negotiating approach would have emphasised parity in bilateral trade relations with Washington.