Yashwant Sinha in Ahmedabad: India’s foreign policy ‘mortgaged’, criticises Centre over US trade deal

Former External Affairs and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on a one-day visit to Ahmedabad on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Central government, alleging that India’s foreign policy has been mortgaged and that key decisions are effectively being dictated by the United States.

Addressing a press conference, Sinha criticised the handling of the proposed India-US trade deal, saying it was premature to celebrate an agreement that has not yet been finalised.

India–US trade deal and foreign policy

Sinha said it was unprecedented that announcements related to India–US trade arrangements were being made by US President Donald Trump rather than by Indian authorities. “Whenever an India–US trade deal is announced, it is the US President who makes the declaration,” he said, adding that such announcements were now effectively coming from Washington.

According to Sinha, the deal is still under negotiation and expected to be concluded in March. “This is not the time to celebrate it,” he said.

He alleged that the Modi government was 'bowing' to the Trump administration, and argued that the US President had no authority to pressure India on matters such as oil purchases. India, he said, has the sovereign right to buy oil from any country, including Venezuela. Accepting such pressure, he claimed, would amount to a surrender of national interest.

Union Budget and economy

Commenting on the Union Budget, Sinha questioned the credibility of the figures released by the government. He said savings and investment levels had declined, and claimed that the official data did not reflect the actual state of the economy.

Naravane’s book and Parliament

Referring to a book written by former Army chief General Manoj Naravane, Sinha raised questions about parliamentary functioning and freedom of discussion. He asked why the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, was not being allowed to speak.

Sinha said the book had already been published in other countries but not in India. Earlier, he said, sensitive issues of this nature would be discussed in the security committee, a practice he claimed was no longer followed. He alleged that the book contains “shocking revelations” that expose the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaker’s conduct and security concerns

Sinha also accused the Speaker of the Lok Sabha of bias, alleging differential treatment of ruling party members and the opposition. He further questioned why no action was taken if there was prior information about a possible attack on the Prime Minister.

BJP, dissent and Gujarat issues

Tracing his political journey, Sinha said he had entered politics inspired by Jayaprakash Narayan. He remarked that the BJP of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani no longer exists, and claimed that internal freedom to express dissent had diminished after Narendra Modi asserted his dominance over the party.

He also expressed concern over reports of missing children in Gujarat and raised questions about what he described as a deteriorating law and order situation in the state.