Modi serving interest of America and wealthy, says Rahul Gandhi

4 min readNew DelhiJun 4, 2026 07:49 PM IST

Addressing a public rally in Uttarakhand's Almora via phone, Rahul accused the central government of being involved in the 'looting' of the state's natural resources. (PTI)

Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict and rising inflation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of working to further “external interests”, saying that the BJP-led government was “systematically dismantling” critical socio-economic protections.

Weeks ago, PM Modi had urged citizens to slash fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel and not to buy gold to save foreign exchange, owing to the US-Israel Iran war, blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and shortage of oil supply. The Leader of Opposition, while addressing a rally in Uttarakhand’s Almora, via phone, alleged that household savings and gold held by the public had been diminished.

Notably, the Donald Trump-led US government on Wednesday proposed 12.5% tariffs on India after a United States Trade Representative (USTR) trade investigation under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 declared that these countries have failed to impose a legal prohibition on “importation of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labour”. US and Indian negotiators are in the midst of talks in New Delhi to finalise a bilateral trade agreement.

Rahul Gandhi also said that small and medium enterprises, particularly in the textile and food processing sectors, had been devastated by the flawed implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Apart from that, the 55-year-old questioned the current foreign policy alignment, claiming that India’s energy security is now constrained by external geopolitical pressures. “Today, we can only purchase oil from countries approved by America. This crucial protection has been dismantled by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” he alleged.

Alleging that the nation’s foreign policy has become subservient to the United States, Gandhi claimed that the Modi government has undermined both agriculture and education in the country.

“Currently, the conflict between America and Iran is creating a potential economic tsunami for a country like India, yet the Modi government is focused on serving the interests of America and a handful of wealthy businessmen in our country,” he said.

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Lambasting the Centre over the imposition of demonetisation in 2016, the Congress leader said the Modi-Shah team has destroyed the economic foundation established by the Congress party. “The team of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has destroyed the economic foundation established by the Congress party, which was aimed at empowering the common man. Demonetisation has taken away the money you kept at home for emergencies, and the GST has harmed small businesses across the country,” Gandhi said.

He claimed that the agricultural protection system for farmers had been weakened, alleging that the Prime Minister is “working to further external interests rather than national priorities.” Gandhi also claimed that the current Uttarakhand government is not prioritising the interests of the state.

With Assembly polls coming up in Uttarakhand next year, the Opposition leader is on a two-day visit to the state and aims to woo voters for the grand old party. However, after his helicopter encountered adverse weather conditions, Gandhi postponed his scheduled visit to Almora and returned to the Pantnagar airport midway.

The public rally titled ‘Parivartan ka Shankhnaad’ was facilitated by Congress general secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja and was attended by many senior state leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Yashpal Arya and former chief minister Harish Rawat.

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During his two-day visit, Gandhi is scheduled to travel across both the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions to address public rallies, meet party workers and interact with the families of ex-servicemen.