Allahabad High Court dismisses plea seeking FIR against Rahul Gandhi over ‘fighting Indian state’ remark
The plea was filed by Simran Gupta of the Hindu Shakti Dal. It was rejected by the single-judge bench of Justice Vikram D. Chauhan.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, today reiterated his ‘dead economy’ jibe, citing factory closures, shrinking procurement, and widespread job losses. He claimed that the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the United States are “badly hurting” Indian textile exporters.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi visited a garment factory in Haryana and discussed the impact of US tariffs on the textile industry.
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In a post on the social media platform X, the Congress leader claimed that the textile sector is in panic amid export tariffs. According to the Congress MP, over 4.5 crore jobs and lakhs of businesses are at stake. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of neither offering any relief to the textile exporters nor addressing related concerns. “Modi ji, you are accountable; please direct your attention to this matter,” the Congress MP wrote.
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50% US tariffs and uncertainty are badly hurting India’s textile exporters. Job losses, factory shutdowns and reduced orders are a reality of our ‘Dead Economy’.
Mr. Modi has offered no relief or even spoken about tariffs, even though more than 4.5 crore jobs and lakhs of… pic.twitter.com/5BcG3AZibg
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 23, 2026
The Lok Sabha LoP started the ‘dead economy’ rhetoric last year during the monsoon session of the Parliament, by agreeing with US President Donald Trump’s statement: “Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy.”
Backing Rahul Gandhi’s claim, the Congress party posted, “LoP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to a garment factory in Haryana exposes the grim reality of India’s struggling economy. India’s textile industry is the country’s second-largest employer. Today, it stands gripped by fear and uncertainty. Why? The impact of Trump’s tariffs.”
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 23, 2026
Congress demanded that India ink a trade agreement with the United States that puts Indian workers and Indian businesses first.
In contrast to the above claims, the Ministry of Textiles states that the textile sector recorded positive growth for the second consecutive month, with exports in December 2025 rising by 0.40 per cent over December 2024 to USD 3.27 billion, following strong growth in November 2025.
According to the Textile Ministry, the export growth was broad-based across key segments, led by Handicrafts (7.2 per cent), Ready-Made Garments (2.89 per cent), and MMF yarn, fabrics and made-ups (3.99 per cent), during December 2025. It suggested that on a calendar-year basis, textile and apparel exports remained stable at USD 37.54 billion in 2025.
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