Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi’s Tweet on Textile Industries being deceived by Indo-US Trade Deal on February 14, 2026:

New Delhi: 18 percent tariff vs. 0 percent – let me explain how the Prime Minister and his cabinet, experts in lying, are spreading confusion. And how they are deceiving the country's cotton farmers and textile exporters through the India-US trade agreement.

Bangladesh is being given the benefit of a 0 percent tariff on garment exports to the US – the only condition is that it imports American cotton.

After the announcement of an 18 percent tariff on Indian garments, when I questioned the special concessions being granted to Bangladesh in Parliament, a minister in the Modi government responded, "If we want the same benefits, we will have to import cotton from the United States."

Why was this hidden from the country until then? And what kind of policy is this? Is it really an option – or a trap? If we import American cotton, our own farmers will be ruined. If we don't, our textile industry will be left behind and destroyed.

And now, Bangladesh is indicating that it may reduce or even stop cotton imports from India. The textile industry and cotton cultivation are the backbone of livelihoods in India. The livelihoods of millions of people depend on them. Damaging these sectors would push millions of families into unemployment and economic crisis.

A visionary and nationally-minded government would have struck a deal that would protect the interests and ensure prosperity of both, cotton farmers and textile exporters.

But on the contrary, Narendra ‘Surrender’ Modi and his ministers have made a deal that could prove to be deeply damaging to both the regions.