Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday accused the Congress party and the Gandhi family of supporting infiltrators and questioned the party’s record on terrorism and Naxalism.
Goyal asserted that India’s global standing and strategic partnerships have strengthened under the Narendra Modi government.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, he said the world today viewed India and Prime Minister Modi “with great trust”, while opposition leader Rahul Gandhi continued to display a “negative outlook” through his statements and speeches.
He also asked “Is eliminating Naxalism treason? Or is allowing Naxalism to flourish for years under the Congress rule treason?”
“The way the Congress Party and the Gandhi family support infiltrators is treason. Is honouring the Indian flag on a global stage considered treason, or is insulting the Indian flag abroad considered treason?" he added in response to Gandhi’s “traitor" barbs.
As PM Modi was on the last leg of visit to Italy, his act of gifting Melodi toffees to Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni became the centre of target as Rahul pointed out that “economic storm is brewing over our heads and our Prime Minister is out in Italy handing out sweets!"
Modi’s five-nation tour has come under attack by the opposition as it came after his appeal to the people to save fuel and restrict foreign travels amid the Middle East crisis.
Goyal also highlighted India’s expanding ties with the United States, describing the bilateral relationship as “very strong and powerful”.
“India and the US share a very strong and powerful partnership. We are both friends, consequential and important trading partners,” he said.
The minister disclosed that investment commitments from US industry into India have scaled to more than USD 60 billion in the last six months.
He framed this massive capital influx as a testament to the surging economic momentum between the two nations, arriving just ahead of the highly anticipated official visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He said Secretary Rubio’s upcoming visit is extremely timely, reflecting a growing partnership that will provide newer and bigger opportunities for India’s youth, farmers, women, entrepreneurs, start-ups and industries, while opening up vast investment channels for the US capital.
“The relationship has evolved far beyond traditional commerce into a deep strategic alliance spanning critical minerals and frontiers of advanced technology,” said Goyal, adding that India and the US are actively working together in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and machine learning, with a clear focus on co-designing and co-producing the technologies of the future.
The Minister said an interim, Phase 1 of bilateral trade agreement has been finalised between the two countries, which will grant Indian goods and services preferential access to the USD 30 trillion US market.
