- Rahul Gandhi met 17 farmer union leaders to discuss concerns about the India-US trade deal
- Farmers called for a nationwide movement to oppose the trade deal and protect their incomes
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal called the meeting staged and accused Gandhi of misleading farmers
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi met farmers at his parliament office and listened to their concerns over the India and US framework trade deal. Taking note of the meeting, the BJP called the meeting "stage-managed", "artificial" and "baseless" narratives and an attempt to mislead Indian farmers.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, met representatives of 17 major farmer unions from across India. The farm leaders expressed concerns that the deal would harm Indian farmers, particularly those growing corn, soyabean, cotton, fruits, and nuts.
They asked a nationwide movement to resist the deal and protect farmers' rights and incomes.
Calling Gandhi's claims "fake" and "fabricated", Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the meeting was aimed at confusing hardworking annadatas (farmers) and provoking sentiment against the government's economic policy.
"Mr Rahul Gandhi has once again rolled out a stage-managed, most artificial and fake narrative. This time, he is shooting from the shoulders of a few Congress party activists, who are pretending to be farmer leaders - in a completely artificial, and baseless conversation," Goyal said in a video post on X.
"Let me now do a reality check on Rahul ji's fakery and expose him and his friends for misguiding our innocent, hardworking annadatas, whose interests have been fully protected by the Modi government in the India-US trade deal," he said.
The India-US interim trade agreement focuses on reducing tariff barriers while balancing India's domestic agricultural sensitivities with the US's demand for market access. The US has agreed to reduce reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from as high as 50 per cent to 18 per cent. This benefits Indian exports in textiles, leather, footwear, and pharmaceuticals.
The government has said 90-95 per cent of Indian farm products are excluded from the deal, protecting farmers' interests.
