Rahul accuses PM of blocking debate over ‘pressure points’, flags Epstein files, Adani case, US trade deal ‎ ‎

‎Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being “frightened and compromised”, alleging that he was being deliberately prevented from speaking in Parliament to avoid scrutiny of sensitive issues such as the Epstein files, the Adani case in the United States, and India’s recently concluded trade deal with Washington.

‎Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex after he said he was stopped from participating in the discussion on the President’s Address, Gandhi claimed that the Lok Sabha had been adjourned for the fourth time since Monday to prevent him from raising these matters.
‎“The Prime Minister is scared. He is frightened and compromised,” Gandhi alleged. “He is afraid of me speaking certain things in Parliament — which he knows and I know.”

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‎The Congress leader suggested that possible future disclosures linked to the Epstein files, along with ongoing legal proceedings involving industrialist Gautam Adani in the US, were key “pressure points” for the Prime Minister.

‎Referring to the controversy over former Army chief General M M Naravane’s memoirs on the 2020 Ladakh face-off with China, Gandhi said the issue was being used as a diversion. “The Naravane issue is only a sideshow,” he said. “The main issue is something else, and that is what the Prime Minister is afraid of.”

‎Gandhi alleged that the Adani case had wider political implications for the ruling party. “This is not just about Adani. He is directly linked to the BJP’s financial structure. The real target is the Prime Minister and the BJP,” he said, claiming that Modi was under “tremendous pressure” and that his carefully cultivated public image “could burst anytime”.

‎He also mounted a sharp attack on the India-US trade deal signed recently, accusing the government of compromising national interests under external pressure. “By signing this deal, the Prime Minister has sold out the interests of farmers and betrayed their blood and sweat,” Gandhi said. He questioned why negotiations that had dragged on for months were concluded suddenly, adding that the agreement was finalised “for reasons known only to him and the Prime Minister”.

‎According to Gandhi, the deal was “not in the interest of the country” and had been signed under pressure.

‎Raising concerns over parliamentary procedure, Gandhi said for the first time in India’s history, a leader of the Opposition was not allowed to speak during the debate on the President’s Address. “This has never happened before. The leader of the Opposition is entitled to speak. There is no question of seeking ‘permission’,” he said, objecting to the presiding officer’s reference to allowing him to speak.

‎Earlier in the day, Gandhi had tabled an article linked to Naravane’s memoirs in the House but was interrupted soon after he began speaking. The Lok Sabha was adjourned repeatedly amid protests and disruptions. “The country should understand that the Prime Minister is compromised,” Gandhi reiterated. “The people of India must think who compromised him and how.”