Farmers stage tractor march in Pundri against proposed India–US trade deal
BKU (Charuni) burns copies of agreement, announces March 23 Kisan–Mazdoor rally in Pipli
Farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) staged a tractor march in Pundri, Kaithal district, on Tuesday to protest against the proposed India–US trade deal and demanded that it be scrapped.
A meeting of the union’s Pundri unit was held at the grain market under the chairmanship of district president Gurnam Singh Farl, in which hundreds of farmers participated. State youth president Vikram Kasana attended the meeting as the chief guest.
After the meeting, farmers led by Kasana and Farl took out a tractor march that passed through the grain market, Brahmanand Chowk and the bus stand before reaching the tehsil office. There, the protesters burnt copies of the India–US trade agreement as a mark of protest.
Kasana announced that a Kisan–Mazdoor Jan Kranti rally will be organised on March 23 at the grain market in Pipli, Kurukshetra, on the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Farmers, labourers and representatives of social and farmer organisations from across the state and the country are expected to participate. The strategy for the next phase of the agitation will also be announced at the rally.
Kasana alleged that the proposed trade deal with the United States is a direct attack on farmers and agricultural labourers in India.
Referring to statements by former US President Donald Trump and other US officials, he claimed that India may allow American agricultural products to enter its markets at zero tariff, which could threaten the livelihood of Indian farmers.
He said the United States had a $1.3 billion agricultural trade deficit with India in 2024 and alleged that the proposed agreement is designed to benefit American farmers. “Earlier, attempts were made through the three farm laws to hand over agriculture to corporates. Now another conspiracy is being hatched to bring American products at zero tariff, which will ruin Indian farmers,” he said.
District president Farl said the union had been continuously raising farmers’ and labourers’ issues through peaceful and democratic protests. He added that the organisation has been opposing the Centre’s alleged anti-farmer policies and warning about the potential adverse impact of the proposed India–US free trade deal.
Farm leaders argued that farming in India is largely for sustaining families, whereas in the United States it operates as a large-scale business backed by heavy government subsidies. They claimed that most Indian farmers own less than 2.5 acres of land, while American farmers often manage thousands of acres, making competition difficult.
The protesters also raised issues such as alleged irregularities in paddy procurement, free education, electricity bills, free healthcare, loan waivers and a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), which they said will be major topics at the upcoming rally.
