Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 15 (ANI): BJP leader CR Kesavan on Sunday criticised Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, stating that his 'dangerous' and 'desperate' attempts to mislead the farmers will go in vain, amid the opposition's backlash at the India-US interim trade deal.

Speaking to ANI, he called Gandhi the 'Joseph Goebbels' of Indian politics, outlining that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has protected and secured the interests of the country and its people.

'Rahul Gandhi is the Joseph Goebbels of Indian politics, and his dirty tricks and tactics of fear-mongering and peddling wholesale lies about the India-US trade agreement have no takers... His desperate and dangerous attempts to deviously try and mislead and misinform our farmers, our MSMEs, and skilled labourers are miserably failing because they all know that PM Modi has not only protected and secured their interests, but also empowered them, keeping national interest in mind...' he said.

This comes after the Lok Sabha LoP accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of misleading the country over tariff provisions in the India-US interim trade agreement, alleging that the deal would adversely impact India's cotton farmers and textile exporters.

Rahul Gandhi said that while Indian garments face an 18 per cent tariff in the United States, Bangladesh is being given a zero per cent tariff benefit on garment exports on the condition that it imports American cotton.

Questioning the policy framework, he alleged that importing American cotton would harm domestic farmers, while not importing it would harm the textile industry.

He further claimed that Bangladesh was signalling a possible reduction or halt in cotton imports from India, which, he said, could worsen the situation for Indian producers.

The India-US Interim Agreement is intended as a framework for a reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade pact between the two countries.

The agreement will involve the elimination or reduction of tariffs on US industrial goods and a wide range of food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

In return, the United States will apply a reciprocal tariff of 18 per cent on selected Indian goods, including textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, plastics, rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery. Upon full implementation, US tariffs on items such as generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts will be removed. (ANI)