Farmers unions slam India-US trade deal

New Delhi: Several farmers’ organisations, including the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), its non-political breakaway faction and All India Kisan Sabha, have announced nationwide protest against the India-US trade deal. The SKM also extended its support to the February 12 general strike.

In a statement, the SKM alleged that the proposed interim trade agreement framework between India and the United States amounted to a “total surrender” of Indian agriculture and farmers to American multinational corporations. It also demanded the immediate resignation of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, accusing him of misleading the country on the scope of trade negotiations.

“The framework is an abject rejection of the claim of the Commerce Minister that the agriculture and dairy sectors are out of the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and the Government of India will not make any compromise on the interests of agriculture. The commerce minister is consciously propagating falsehood…SKM considers the role of the commerce minister as a traitor and demands his immediate resignation. The SKM also demands that the prime minister desist from signing the India-US FTA or face massive pan-India united mass struggles,” read the SKM statement.

The SKM (Non-Political) too said in a statement that it would soon hold a meeting and announce large-scale protests against the trade agreement. According to the statement, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that while Goyal is tweeting that agriculture and the dairy sector will be protected, the India-US joint statement says that India has agreed to discuss and resolve non-tariff barriers imposed on US agricultural and food products.