Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “surrendered to the clutches of the US” in the interim trade agreement under the pretext of “removing barriers to digital trade”. Rahul Gandhi’s criticism comes at a time when the Artificial Intelligence Summit is about to be held in India, which he said was an opportunity for India to establish leadership.
However, Rahul believed that through the interim trade agreement, New Delhi has given Washington permission to oppose India using its data to its advantage. “In a few days, the government is hosting a grand AI summit. This should have been an opportunity for India to demonstrate leadership, showing how a country of 1.4 billion people can use its data to shape the global AI future in its own way,” he said in a post on Twitter.
He further said, “Instead, the hapless Prime Minister Modi has surrendered to US ‘pressure’ in the trade deal. Under the pretext of ‘removing barriers to digital trade’, every move to use our data for our own benefit will be resisted.”
The Lok Sabha MP expressed concern that the agreement would raise several issues, including ensuring security of user data and transparency in the source code of other companies.
He said, “Already, big foreign companies enjoy a near monopoly on our data through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Amazon, Android, etc. With this agreement, India will face these challenges: storing the data of 1.5 billion Indians safely in India; achieving transparency in their source code and algorithms; and taxing the profits they make using our data.”
He further said, “It is shameful that our Prime Minister has been pressured to hand over India’s major resource to a foreign power.”The US and India have announced a framework for an interim agreement related to mutual and mutually beneficial trade.
According to the joint statement, the United States and India have committed to eliminating discriminatory or burdensome practices and other barriers to digital trade and setting a clear path to achieving strong, ambitious, and mutually beneficial digital trade rules as part of the BTA.
It also said that the United States, under Executive Order 14257 (as amended) dated April 2, 2025, will impose a reciprocating duty rate of 18 percent on goods manufactured in India, including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastics and rubber, organic chemicals, household furnishing, handicraft products and certain machinery.
