Farmers take out march against India-US trade deal in Karnal

Scores of farmers, under the banner of the BKU, staged a protest against the proposed India-US agricultural trade deal in the city on Friday. The farmers organised a tractor parade across the city and raised slogans against the government and administration, warning of intensified agitation if their concerns are ignored. Farmers burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump to express their anger over the trade agreement between both the nations.

The farmers staged dharna outside the Mini-Secretariat and handed over a memorandum to SDM Pradeep Kumar. The tractor parade began from Devi Lal Chowk and passed through major city routes before reaching the Mini-Secretariat.

BKU state president Rattan Mann said that their demands included the cancellation of the India-US agricultural trade agreement, withdrawal of smart meters policy, loan waivers for farmers and labourers, relief in electricity bills, changes in seed laws and a legal guarantee for procurement of crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Mann said that the farmers had been raising their legitimate demands through democratic means for a long time, but neither the government nor the administration had taken concrete steps to resolve their issues.

“The agricultural agreement between India and the US is against the interests of farmers, and we will not accept it at any cost,” he said, urging the government to reconsider such decisions in the interest of farmers and the country’s agricultural system.

Mann, along with other farmer leaders, also announced that a massive “Lalkaar Rally” would be held in Jind on March 31 on the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). He appealed to the farmers to participate in large numbers to strengthen the movement. National-level SKM leaders are expected to attend the rally.