Samajwadi Party chief and Lok Sabha member Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday targeted the Centre over the recently announced interim trade agreement between India and the US, questioning the sequence of events and asking whether the Union Budget was prepared before finalising the deal or vice versa.
His remarks came after India and the US reached an interim trade arrangement earlier this week. US President Donald Trump has claimed that tariffs on Indian imports have been reduced to 18 per cent while India has agreed to impose zero per cent tariffs on certain US products.
The BJP-led Central government, however, has not issued any detailed official clarification on the claims so far. Participating in the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Yadav raised concerns about the government's trade policies and the broader impact of free trade agreements.
"The BJP says that India now has a Free Trade Agreement with several nations. However, I would want to know from the BJP, with which countries will the FTA not be possible? You (BJP) might want to sign an FTA with several nations," he said.
Criticising the nature of the agreement with the US, Yadav remarked, "After so many FTAs, there has been a dheel (compromise), not a deal, with America. After this, where will our Rupee reach? Who knows. If this was the deal to be made, then why was there a delay of 11 months? Our businessmen and industrialists had to wait for so long."
He further questioned the timing of the economic decisions, asking, "The question on the budget is, what was done first -- the deal or the Budget?" Yadav also raised concerns about the government's emphasis on self-reliance and indigenous production in light of the trade arrangement.
"Were words like Aatmanirbharta and Swadeshi removed from the dictionary when this deal was signed? Or were these terms put in the antonyms section?... $500 million one-sided trade... where will our Aatmanirbharta and Swadeshi slogans go?
The country's public is asking the BJP that since the deal is never one-sided, is 0 bigger than 18? The BJP considers 18 equal to 0," he said. The Samajwadi Party chief further criticised the Union Budget, alleging that it failed to address the needs of marginalised communities.
He claimed that there was "nothing in this Budget for the PDA -- poor, Dalit and Adivasis," and accused the government of ignoring these sections of society. Accusing the BJP of interfering with reservation policies, Yadav said, "Till our poor, minority and Dalits do not succeed, your dreams of being Viksit Bharat will remain unfulfilled.
This Budget does not do any justice to social or economic disparity." Yadav also alleged that Uttar Pradesh did not receive adequate attention in the Budget's infrastructure planning. "No big project has been launched by this government. If there are any, do tell us... They are mainly only completing projects launched by previous governments... Upcoming projects do not reflect Viksit Bharat," he said.
Targeting the BJP's anti-corruption stance, Yadav urged the government to examine the condition of public infrastructure, particularly roads, suggesting that the ground realities contradicted its claims. Expressing apprehension over the impact of the trade agreement on agriculture, he highlighted the challenges faced by farmers and asked, "We are all worried about this deal.
If all crops are going to come from the US, what will our farmers grow?" He also drew attention to environmental concerns, pointing to the deteriorating state of major rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna, along with worsening air quality in major cities, including Delhi and Mumbai.