New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a sharp counterattack against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, accusing him of “not reading the Budget properly” and alleging that the Congress had “sold out farmers” through its 2013 agreement at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“The Opposition says that India is selling the farmers, Modi ji has surrendered. PM Modi has stood on the frontlines to talk for the needs of the farmers,” FM Nirmala Sitharaman said.
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“I’ll tell you who has really sold the farmers. In 2013, the Congress went to the World Trade Organisation in Bali and made a two-fold agreement. One was on trade facilitation; the other was on public stockholding of grains. So since January 2017, in India, no procurement can be made from the farmers, and we can’t give anything to the poor for rations. They gave our farmers MSP, and we could not do any procurement, unless PM Modi had not fought for it in the WTO in 2014, and got peace cost.
Sitharaman also referred to the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Statement, accusing the previous regime of diluting India’s position on sovereignty and security in its engagement with Pakistan.
Responding to Gandhi’s criticism of the Union Budget, Sitharaman defended the government’s allocations across sectors, from artificial intelligence and food security to energy transition and MSMEs and said the Opposition had ignored key provisions.
On the India AI Mission, the Finance Minister said ₹1,000 crore had been allocated to strengthen domestic AI capabilities and improve services for Indian users. “We incentivise data centres so that data stays in India and the population of Indian youth gets employment. The allocation ensures better customer experience and services,” she said, adding that Gandhi had made allegations without reading the details.
Highlighting food security measures, Sitharaman said ₹2.27 lakh crore had been earmarked as total food subsidy, with free food grains being provided to 80 crore beneficiaries. She added that ₹4,064 crore had been allocated for the food processing industry and ₹350 crore for high-value agriculture. “Food inflation has come down to less than 2%, compared to double-digit inflation during the Congress era,” she said.
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On energy security, she said India must prepare for rare earths and critical minerals, noting allocations of ₹2,500 crore for nuclear power and ₹600 crore for the hydrogen mission. The Budget, she said, pushes for autonomy in critical minerals and long-term energy resilience.