India–US deal under fire as kisan bodies call it ‘anti-farmer’, urge President to stop it

New Delhi: Calling the interim India-US trade deal "anti-farmer", the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Tuesday demanded scrapping the pact, as it announced public meetings across the country before the Budget session resumes on March 9.

The umbrella body of farmer organisations, in a statement issued following an online press conference, appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to direct Prime Minister Narendra Modi to not to sign the deal.

The SKM said it will hold meetings to discuss, adopt and send an open letter to the president "to sack the commerce minister who played the role of a traitor to open agriculture and dairy sector to MNCs and surrender the self-reliance and sovereignty of India".


It also demanded that FM Nirmala Sitaraman to immediately withdraw a finance ministry letter asking the Kerala government to review the existing bonus policy and consider discontinuing the bonus on wheat and paddy.

"SKM will write to the cabinet secretary demanding to remove the Expenditure Secretary V Vualnam IAS, who signed the DO letter," it said.

The farmers' body added that delegations of SKM state coordination committees will meet respective chief ministers and the leader of opposition on February 27, or any subsequent date to urge them to scrap the deal.

They will also urge that the withdrawal of the DO letter that "attacked the fiscal autonomy of the state governments and oppose the right of farmers for remunerative price for their produce".

The SKM will also demand the CMs and the LoP to protect the "federal rights of the state", among other issues, it added.