Indo-U.S. trade deal will destroy India’s textile industry: Rahul

Highlighting the possible impact of the Indo-U.S. trade deal on the textile sector, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (February 14, 2026) claimed that the agreement would either “destroy” the industry, which provides employment to about five crore families, or severely harm the cotton farmers.

In a video posted on his X handle, Mr. Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, referred to his speech in Parliament during the discussion on the Union Budget, in which he alleged Bangladesh had been given a “free pass” by the U.S.

“What do you expect our textile industry to do? Their competitor is Bangladesh. If Bangladesh imports U.S. cotton, they have zero percent duty. Our textile industry is finished,” Mr. Gandhi said. 

Referring to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s statement that India could also get zero percent duty on U.S. cotton, Mr. Gandhi said, “The truth is that our cotton goes to Bangladesh and our cotton runs the textile mills of India”.

Mr. Gandhi claimed that Bangladesh had already decided not to buy Indian cotton in favour of U.S. cotton.

“If we adopt the Bangladesh route, our cotton farmers would be destroyed, and if (we) don’t, then our textile industry would be finished. Piyush Goyal ji, don’t lie. That’s why I have called this deal a surrender. It will either destroy the textile industry or cotton farmers or both,”Mr. Gandhi said.

In the post accompanying the video, Mr. Gandhi accused the government of cheating cotton farmers and textile exporters in the country.  

“A visionary government that thinks in the national interest would have negotiated a deal that protects and ensures the prosperity of both cotton farmers and textile exporters. But exactly the opposite has happened—Narendra ‘Surrender’ Modi and his ministers have made an agreement that is likely to inflict deep damage on both sectors,” he said.