With India negotiating Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between 16 nations, Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the FTA deal will cripple the Indian economy. Saying that 'Make In India' has become 'Buy from China', the Congress MP said, "Each year we import Rs. 6,000/ worth of goods from China for every Indian! A 100% increase since 2014. RCEP will flood India with cheap goods, resulting in millions of job losses and crippling the Indian economy."

Priyanka Gandhi joined and said, "India is facing a massive economic slowdown. 90 lakhs jobs have already been lost in the last six years of BJP rule. RCEP is going to ensure this figure rises exponentially. This is possibly the worst time for India to join RCEP."

Countering RaGa, the BJP noted, "Seems meditation trip has woken you up to RCEP. Facts that will help your selective amnesia: 1. UPA entered RCEP negotiations in 2012. 2. Trade deficit with China increased by 23 times from $1.9Bn in 2005 to $44.8Bn in 2014. 3. Now PM Modi is cleaning your mess."