NEW DELHI: Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mounted a sharp attack on the Union Budget 2026-27, accusing the government of compromising India’s strategic interests in a volatile global order and “selling” the country’s data in its trade engagement with the United States.Speaking during the Budget discussion, Gandhi framed his remarks around what he described as a shift from global stability to instability, warning that India must protect its people, data, energy and food systems in an era of geopolitical conflict and financial weaponisation.
He began by citing the Economic Survey. “I was looking at the economic survey and two points I found there, solid points, profound points that I liked. First point, that we are living in a world of intensifying geopolitical conflict… The dominance of the United States is being challenged by the Chinese, by the Russians, by other forces. The second thing is that we are living in a world of energy and financial weaponisation. The main thing they are saying here is that we are moving from a world of stability to a world of instability.”Rahul Gandhi Gandhi took aim at earlier statements by the government. “Prime Minister stated, and NSA stated, shockingly, some time back, that the era of war is over. In fact, we are moving into the era of war. You can see war is there in Ukraine, war was there in Gaza, war is there in the Middle East, threat of war is there in Iran. We had operations in Sindoor. So we are moving into a world of instability. The dollar is being challenged. The central game, as my friends on the other side understand, is that dollar is being challenged, US supremacy is being challenged. We are moving from a world of one superpower to some new world that really we can’t predict…”
Key quotes from Rahul Gandhi’s speech
- “We are moving from a world of stability to a world of instability. PM Modi and NSA stated that era of war is over but we are moving into the era of war. There is war in Ukraine, Gaza, we had Operation Sindoor. The Dollar is being challenged. US supremacy is being challenged.”
- “When you move into a dangerous world what is the first thing you have to understand? I’d like to tell the house our strengths, the central strength is our 1.4billion people brilliant, energetic, dynamic who can challenge anybody in the world.”
- “People create data. We have the biggest data pool on the planet. 1.4 billion people means massive amount of data is being generated in India. Everybody talks about AI but talking AI is like talking about internal combustion engine without petrol. The petrol for AI is data…. meaning if you have AI and you don’t data, you have nothing. Which are the two biggest pools of data on the planet? The Indian pool of data and Chinese pool of data.”
- “Population is a strength but only if you recognise that data is important.”
- “If Americans want to remain superpower, protect their dollar, then key to that is Indian data.”
- “In a contest between US and China the single most valuable asset is Indian data. If US wants to remain a superpower and want to protect their dollar the key to that is Indian data.”
- “If INDIA bloc was negotiating with President Trump, we would say ‘most important thing in this equation is Indian data’.”
- “President Trump, if you want access to this data, then please understand that you are going to talk to us as an equal. You’re not going to talk to us as if we are your servants.”
- “We would tell President Trump, if you want access to Indian data, you will have to talk to us as an equal.”
- “We would not be made equal to Pakistan. If President Trump decided that the Pakistan Army Chief was going to have breakfast with him, then we would have something to say about that.”
- “The thing that is going to transform India in the 21st century, the thing that is going to make us a superpower in the 21st century, this is what the Modi government has done with our data. We give up control over our digital trade rules. Number two, there is no need for data localisation. Number three, free data flow to the United States. Number four, limit on digital tax. Number five, no need to disclose any source code. The finance minister is smiling. She likes to smile a lot. 20-year free tax holiday to anybody who wants it, to the big tax company. This is what you’ve done on data…”
- “Budget recognises energy and finance are being weaponised but nothing in budget that looks into this.”
- “We need to protect our people, data, food supply and energy system.”
- “I would warn govt AI is going to have many consequences; companies at forefront of information technology will struggle.”
- “In martial arts, the sequence is grip, choke, and tap. This grip also exists in politics. But, in politics the grip, choke, and tap remain hidden.”
- “… I am saying that you have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? Do you have no shame in selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata. The interesting thing is that I know that the Prime Minister would not sell India under normal circumstances. You know why he sold India? Because they are choking him. They have got a grip on his neck… We can see fear in the eyes of the Prime Minister. There are two things- first, Epstein. 3 million files are still locked up…”
Rahul Gandhi argued that in the 21st century, data has become India’s most valuable asset. “… What we put on the table is our people. Their wisdom, what they do, their likes, dislikes, their imagination, and their fear. This has suddenly, in the 21st century, got value. In the 20th century, it had no value. I remember so many people saying that population is a weight, population is a disaster. No, population is the biggest asset you can have. It’s a strength. But it’s only a strength if you recognise that data.”The Congress leader said that in a dangerous global environment, India must first recognise its strengths. “Moving into a dangerous world, we have to understand our strengths; central strength of our country is our people.”
