New Delhi: Upping the ante against the government over the India-US interim trade deal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday posed a string of questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged that “we are witnessing a betrayal” of Indian farmers.
Gandhi, who has been attacking the government and accusing it of a sell-out through the deal, said this issue concerns the future and asked whether India is allowing another country to gain a long-term hold over India’s agriculture industry.
“In the name of a US trade deal, we are witnessing a betrayal of Indian farmers,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in his post in Hindi on X.
Posing questions to the prime minister, Gandhi asked what it means to import Dried Distillers’ Grains (DDG). “Does it mean that Indian cattle will be fed distillers’ grains made from GM American corn? Won’t this effectively make our milk products dependent on the US agricultural industry?” he questioned.
Gandhi further inquired that if India allows the import of GM soy oil, what would its implications be on soy farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and across the country? “How will they withstand another price shock?” he asked.
“When you say ‘additional products’, what does that include? Does this indicate pressure to open pulses and other crops to US imports over time?” he questioned.
Hitting back at Congress leader, Union Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused Gandhi of spreading “lies” and misleading farmers over India’s trade pacts with the US, UK and the EU, asserting the government has fully safeguarded the country’s agriculture and dairy sectors.
He termed as “laughable” the Congress’s allegations that trade agreements would harm Indian farmers.
“I feel like laughing when Congress’s Shahzada Rahul Gandhi stands in Parliament and talks about protecting farmers. The Congress has a long history of misleading the country and now they are spreading lies about trade deals,” Shah said.
Shah challenged Gandhi to debate the issue publicly.
“Rahul Gandhi ji, decide any platform. Even the BJP Yuva Morcha president can come and debate with you on who has harmed farmers and who has worked for their welfare,” he said.
Following a phone conversation between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump, both sides recently announced a reduction of US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent.
Last month, India and the European Union (EU) concluded negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA).
Defending the trade agreements, Shah said, “Through these agreements, our agricultural produce and fishermen’s products will get access to world markets. At the same time, farmers’ interests have been protected. The BJP and PM Modi can never compromise with farmers’ interests,” he asserted.
Shah said the Congress had spoken of “garibi hatao” but failed to take concrete steps to eradicate poverty, while PM Modi provided houses, gas connections, toilets, drinking water, free foodgrains and health insurance of Rs 5 lakh.
Compare 10 years of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA rule and a decade of the Modi government, Shah said, “We have procured 15 times more foodgrains from farmers at MSP.”