Chandigarh, Feb 8: The Aam Aadmi Party has termed the recently announced India-US trade agreement a direct threat to the national interest, claiming the deal will push millions of Indian farmers toward financial ruin. AAP Punjab Chief Spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal stated on Sunday that the agreement facilitates the flooding of domestic markets with heavily subsidized American crops.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Dhaliwal mentioned that the central government has reduced tariffs on US products from 60 percent to nearly zero, while Indian exports continue to face high duties. He noted that the terms of the deal were not transparently shared in Parliament, leaving the public to learn details through social media announcements from the United States.
“This is not a trade deal. This is economic surrender,” Dhaliwal said. He mentioned that the influx of American red sorghum, corn, and cotton would cause the price of indigenous crops to collapse, particularly affecting farmers in drought-prone regions who lack price support.
Dhaliwal specifically questioned the fate of growers in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. He noted that the entry of cheap American almonds, walnuts, and apples would leave local producers without a viable market.
The MLA stated that the BJP is misleading the public regarding the benefits of the pact. “Our concern is simple and serious: this deal opens India’s markets to heavily subsidised American agricultural products, directly threatening Indian farmers who already receive little to no support,” he added.
