NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying that it was the Congress-led UPA government which surrendered India's interest before international organisations including the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and "sold" the interest of poor and farmers.
She said it was the Congress which not only sold the interest of the poor and farmer of this country but the country itself.
Echoing sentiments of her Cabinet colleague Kiren Rijiju, the finance minister said, "Koi mai ka laal paida nahi hua jo humare desh ko bech de ya kharid le (no one has the audacity to sell or buy out India)."
Sitharaman also referred to the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Statement, accusing the previous regime of diluting India's position on sovereignty and security in its engagement with Pakistan.
Stressing that those who want to negotiate with Pakistan at Sharm-al-Sheikh are now giving us suggestions on negotiations, Sitharaman said, "it is the Congress which sold the government, farmers, the poor and the nation. It was you who hyphenated India with Pakistan."
"Kiren Rijiju said it rightly not a single person has been born till date who can sell India. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never do such a thing," she added.
Responding to the debate on the Union Budget 2026-27 in the lower house, the finance minister alleged that India compromised on the peace clause at the WTO meeting in Bali, Indonesia during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tenure.
She further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will always act in India's interest whereas it was the Congress which surrendered before WTO, sold poor, farmers during its regime when it signed the Bali agreement in 2013 which had two main pillars-- Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Public Stockholding (Food Security).
Dismissing concerns over artificial intelligence and data expressed by Rahul Gandhi, she said, "I want to tell that we are incentivising setting up of cloud and data centres in India, so that the data is stored here and our youth gets employment opportunities."
The India AI Mission has a dedicated allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for 2026-27, she said.
To counter weaponisation of energy and finance, she said, the government has already allocated appropriate funds in the Budget, but the Leader of Opposition and the Congress have not gone through the documents before placing their concern in the House.
"Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also expressed concerns over geopolitics, energy and weaponisation of finance. He said that the budget acknowledges these challenges, but he didn't read the budget and the steps announced in it to address these challenges," she said.
The budget explains variations in expenditure by pointing to a transfer to an "Economic Stabilization Fund" specifically to meet unanticipated expenditure arising from "volatile global dynamics", she said, adding, Rs 50,000 crore was allocated in the current financial year 2025-26.
To counter the weaponisation of technology and finance, Rs 9,800 crore has been allocated to this new fund, she said.
To insulate India from energy weaponisation, the budget pushes for autonomy through critical minerals (customs duty exemptions), nuclear power (projects with allocation of Rs 2,500 crore), and a National Green Hydrogen Mission with the allocation of Rs 600 crore, she added.
On the concern expressed over food security and energy security by Opposition, she retorted Rs 2.27 lakh crore is allocated for food subsidy, ensuring that basic food security remains a priority and 80 crore people get support.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries sees its budget rise to Rs 4,064 crore, with specific focus on the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME) scheme, she said.
There is a new allocation of Rs 350 crore, specifically for "support for high value agriculture". There are measures for coconut, cashew, cocoa, sandalwood, she said.
The food inflation is at a multi-year low as against the double-digit food inflation during the UPA regime, she said.
Observing that the Budget also introduces targeted relief for SEZ manufacturing units impacted by global trade disruptions, she said a one-time measure allows eligible SEZ units to sell goods in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional duty rates instead of standard customs duties.
Customs reforms aim to boost export competitiveness through trust-based governance and reduced compliance.
To support MSMEs and artisans, the Rs 10 lakh value cap on courier exports is being removed. A unified digital clearance window will be operational by April 2026.
Countering Opposition claims, she said that cess and surcharge collected by the Centre are given to the states for development work in various sectors, and this is separate from the 41 per cent of funds allocated to the states.
"We are willing to work with states for mega textile parks, particularly looking at industrial textiles, which are going to be 'new age', which are now becoming a part of manufacturing sector...whether it's car cushions which is completely made of industrial textiles...so these new age textiles requirements can also be fulfilled.
"I welcome any state, which wants to enter this area. The Centre is willing to collaborate with them," she said.
In the coming year FY 2026-27, the states' share is estimated at Rs 25.44 lakh crore, which will be devolved to them - an increase of Rs 2.7 lakh crore from last year FY 2025-26 as recommended by the Finance Commission.