In a no-holds-barred attack, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the government has “sold Bharat Mata” through the India-US interim trade deal, and that it was a “wholesale surrender” with India’s energy security handed over to America and farmers’ interests compromised.

Participating in the debate on the Union Budget, Gandhi said he does not believe that any Indian prime minister, including Narendra Modi, would agree to such a deal unless there is a “chokehold” on him. “Why has he [Modi] sold India — because they [the US] are choking him. They have a grip on his neck,” said Gandhi.