India-US trade deal is disastrous for farmers, say Kharge, Rahul Gandhi; what more Cong leaders said at Kisan Maha Chaupal in Bhopal
Bhopal: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party president Rahul Gandhi have described the India-US trade agreement as disastrous for farmers, saying that under pressure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has compromised the interests of farmers to serve the interests of large corporations.
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday addressed Kisan Maha Chaupal in Bhopal. They said the it will impact the prices of several crops, including soybean, cotton, and maize, and that local farmers will suffer direct losses due to increased foreign imports. They said the India-US trade has been drafted to protect the interests of large corporate. They stated that this fight is not just for Madhya Pradesh, but for farmers across the country, and therefore, the party will raise this issue at the national level and protest against it in other states as well.
Congress leaders claimed that if this trade agreement is implemented, competition in the agricultural sector will increase, increasing economic pressure on small and medium-sized farmers. The party termed it anti-farmer and demanded that the central government make the terms of the agreement public and discuss it with the farmers.
America will now bring its inferior goods to India and sell them cheaply
Kharge described the trade agreement with the US as anti-farmer and said that America will now bring its inferior goods to India and sell them cheaply. Trump has signed this agreement solely to destroy our farmers, in which Modi stands with Trump, not with the farmers of the country. He said that those who claim to be well-wishers of farmers are now praising Trump.
Kharge clearly stated, "We do not accept this trade deal. We do not accept the attack on farmers' livelihoods. We do not accept the tampering with the country's energy security. We do not accept any compromise with India's sovereignty and self-reliance. The Congress government introduced schemes like the Right to Work, the Right to Education, and the Right to Food Security for the well-being of the citizens of the country, but Modi never introduced any legislation in the public interest. He only changed the names of schemes"
Addressing a large public gathering, Gandhi said that Modi is under immense pressure regarding this agreement. He said that if there is no pressure, then he openly challenges him to cancel the India-US agreement.
What will happen to our industry and our farmers: Rahul
Rahul said that US President Trump says that India will purchase goods worth Rs 9 lakh crore from the US every year. The question is: what will happen to our industry and our farmers? On the contrary, India will now pay more taxes, whereas previously we paid less. Meaning, they didn't take anything in the deal, instead they sold everything.
Gandhi said that in the 21st century, "data" is the most important commodity. Those who have data will win. Those who don't will perish. Today, India has the most data in the world. Without India's data, America cannot compete with China. However, the agreement with America has handed over all of India's data to America. Meaning, by making a deal with America, Modi has ruined farmers, handed over the country's data to America, and destroyed our textile industry.
US released Hardeep Puri's name to threaten govt
Calling Modi a compromising Prime Minister, he said, "The trade agreement with the United States had been stalled for four months, but suddenly Modi signed it for two reasons. The first reason was that millions of Epstein files are locked in the United States. Emails, messages, and videos from millions of files have not yet been released. The United States released Hardeep Puri's name to threaten the Modi government. This clearly sent a message that if he didn't listen, evidence would emerge from the files. The second reason was that Adani faces a criminal case in the United States; he can't go to America."
Congress leaders said that the party would organize similar programs across the country to raise awareness about the way farmers' interests have been ignored in the trade agreement with the United States.