By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: Senior leaders of the Indian National Congress on Monday launched a sharp attack on the proposed India–US trade agreement, alleging that it would gravely harm Indian farmers and compromise national interests. Addressing a joint press conference at the state party office, former minister Sajjan Singh Verma, AICC spokesperson Abhay Dubey and Kisan Congress state president Dharmendra Singh Chauhan criticised the Centre’s approach.
Verma claimed that under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to zero-tariff imports of American agricultural produce such as soybean, mustard and cotton. He alleged that duty-free imports would push Indian farmers out of the domestic market and raise serious concerns about sovereignty. He further questioned the Prime Minister’s silence over repeated US claims of mediating between India and Pakistan.
Dubey argued that the government’s past policies — from withdrawal of crop bonuses to what he termed flawed insurance schemes — had already weakened farmers’ incomes. He warned that the proposed agreement could deepen distress.
Chauhan said Madhya Pradesh, a leading producer of soybean and maize, would be severely affected, asserting that small farmers could not compete with subsidised American agribusiness.
