Farmers burn Modi's effigies in Yamunanagar

Farmers under the banner of the BKU (Charuni) protested at Vyaspur town in Yamunanagar district today and burnt effigies of PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump against the trade deal (agricultural agreement) between the two countries.

The farmers were led by senior BKU leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, who said Modi was kneeling before the US. “Farmers are fearful that if an agricultural deal is executed, Indian farmers will be ruined,” he said.

India had middle-class farmers, whereas American farmers owned thousands of acres. “Indian farmers cannot compete with them. The Indian Government will not impose any tax on goods imported from America, whereas the US will impose 18% tax on Indian goods,” he said.

If the government did not cancel the deal, the farmers of the country would gather at the grain market at Pipli in Kurukshetra on March 23 to take a decision against the government.

“Tractor marches will be held at every tehsil level on March 10,” he said.

BKU district president Sanju Gundiana said the deal was being introduced to benefit multinational companies, while it would cause significant losses to small and medium-sized farmers.

“If foreign agricultural products enter the Indian market at cheap prices, local farmers' crops will not receive fair prices. This will directly impact their income and deepen the crisis in the agricultural sector. The government should consult the farmers before entering into any international trade deal,” he said.