The first part of a very acrimonious Budget session that saw heated exchanges over the India-US trade deal and unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, concluded Friday. Congress MPs protested in the Parliament House complex, demanding the resignation of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in connection with his name in the infamous Epstein Files.
A key question now is whether the Opposition’s attempt to link the India–US trade deal with Puri’s mention in the Epstein files has put the BJP-led NDA on the defensive and whether this pressure can be sustained to test Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the politically sensitive issue of farmers once again.
Led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition in the Lok Sabha continued to corner the government on issues, including the Epstein files, in this session—charges that the BJP rejected, describing as baseless political mudslinging. Even if there was discomfort, there was no visible sign of embarrassment within the ruling ranks.
Refuting Gandhi’s allegations in multiple interviews, Puri accused him of “peddling innuendo”, acknowledging that he had met disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein on “a few occasions” and asserting that his interactions had no connection with the crimes committed by the convicted sex offender.
Observers believe the real political test may lie in whether the Opposition can successfully frame the deal as a threat to farmers’ interests ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in key states—West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and UT Puducherry. On Thursday, farmers and trade unions staged a nationwide Bharat Bandh against the deal, with protests reported from several states.
Agriculture is not only a key economic sector but also a politically sensitive constituency with deep emotional resonance. Although the government has assured safeguards for sensitive agricultural products, any perception that domestic producers could face unfair foreign competition may gain traction across party lines. Union ministers, including Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, have repeatedly assured that the deal is the best agreement in the national interest and that farmers have been fully safeguarded.
But Gandhi, who has been accusing PM Modi of “opening the doors” of the agriculture sector to foreign players at the cost of Indian farmers and selling out under pressure from US President Donald Trump, says he was prepared to face FIRs or motions in Parliament, but his party would oppose the deal at every level.
Political debates rarely hinge solely on economic logic, and if the narrative shifts from macroeconomic benefits to concerns over livelihood security for soybean, cotton and fruit growers, the discourse could sharpen. Memories of the earlier farm laws are still fresh in public consciousness, the observers say. But the point is also whether Congress has the power to sustain the pressure. Ultimately, in politics, it is the perceptions that matter.