Finance Minister misinforming Parliament on WTO to justify sellout India-U.S. deal: Anand Sharma

Anand Sharma accuses Finance Minister Sitharaman of misleading Parliament on WTO claims to defend the controversial India-U.S. deal.

Congress leader Anand Sharma slammed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday (February 12, 2026) for criticising India’s stand at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali in 2013 during the UPA rule and accused her of “deliberately misinforming” Parliament to justify the “sellout” interim trade deal with the US.

Just for political gains, Ms. Sitharaman was misleading the nation and making an “orchestrated claim” that the UPA government “sold out” India’s food security at the WTO meeting in Bali, the former Commerce Minister said in a statement.

“It is unfortunate and shocking that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has deliberately misinformed the Parliament on the agreements reached at the ninth WTO Ministerial meeting in Bali in December 2013.

“In her desperation to justify and defend the sellout interim trade deal with the US, she has levelled an unfair allegation that the Congress-led UPA government had sold out India's right to food security at the WTO meeting in Bali. This is false and incorrect and contradicts the facts on record and WTO’s official statement," Mr. Sharma said.

Saying that the Finance Minister made the claim for political gains, he asserted that the “issue of public stockholding for food security was actually forced by India at the Bali Ministerial meeting and the same were secured and protected.”

Ms. Sitharaman, on Wednesday (February 11, 2026), 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 the poor and farmers.