The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Tuesday demanded annulment of the interim India-US trade deal, terming it "anti-farmer", as it announced public meetings across the country before the Budget session resumes on March 9.
The farmer body appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to direct Prime Minister Narendra Modi to not to sign the deal in a statement that followed an online press conference.
However, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan responded to the concerns and said that the India-US interim trade deal was sealed after thorough consideration, with the government ensuring that no decision harms the farming community.
“I am speaking with full responsibility as the agriculture minister of India. In the trade agreement, we have taken complete care of the interests of Indian farmers. There will be no losses for India's farming community,” Chouhan said while speaking at a programme in Jaipur.
While addressing specific questions related to importing pulses, apple and cotton and other products Chouhan reasoned that the production of pulses and cotton falls short domestically and apples are anyway exported from countries like Turkey and Iran so there was no harm in importing from the United States too.
"They come from countries like Turkey and Iran. If one lakh metric tonnes (of apple) come from the United States, after ensuring that it does not affect our farmers, what is the problem?" he remarked.
In its statement, the SKM had mentioned that it will conduct meetings to discuss, adopt and send an open letter to the president "to sack the commerce minister who played the role of a traitor to open the agriculture and dairy sector to MNCs and surrender the self-reliance and sovereignty of India".
It also demanded FM Nirmala Sitharaman to immediately withdraw a finance ministry letter asking the Kerala government to review the existing bonus policy and consider discontinuing the bonus on wheat and paddy.
"SKM will write to the cabinet secretary demanding to remove the Expenditure Secretary V Vualnam IAS, who signed the DO letter," it said.
The farmers' body added that delegations of SKM state coordination committees will meet respective chief ministers and the leader of opposition on February 27, or any subsequent date to urge them to scrap the deal.
They will also urge the withdrawal of the DO letter that "attacked the fiscal autonomy of the state governments and oppose the right of farmers for remunerative price for their produce".
The SKM will also demand the CMs and the LoP to protect the "federal rights of the state", among other issues, it added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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