Narendra Modi Surrenders Indian Interests Before US Imperialism
Stop Mortgaging Indian Agriculture
Piyush Goyal Resorting to Lies and Deceit to Mislead Farmers
Vijoo Krishnan, Ashok Dhawale
General Secretary President
AIKS condemns the Narendra Modi-led BJP-NDA Government’s abject surrender before US Imperialism and the Trade Agreement which literally is a death knell for Indian farmers. The US-India Joint Statement confirms the worst fears of farmers. The BJP-NDA Government has mortgaged the lives and livelihoods of India’s farmers. It has once again demonstrated its absolute subservience to U.S. imperialism and sections of domestic monopolies.
The statement also reveals the lies and deception of Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, who claimed that no concessions were made in the agrarian sector. The very first paragraph of the joint statement shows otherwise. Goyal is engaged in classic doublespeak to mislead farmers. In reality, cheap, highly subsidized products from big American agribusiness and farmers will flood Indian markets, causing prices to crash and devastating Indian farmers.
A key clause in the statement reads: “India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and a wide range of U.S. food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.” This will directly impact crores of Indian farmers and their families. Soybean, maize, and horticulture farmers are expected to face serious losses. To please the Trump administration, India has committed to slashing import duties, helping large American farmers at the expense of India’s small and marginal farmers.
India has also committed to buying $500 billion worth of goods from the U.S. over the next five years. Given that India currently imports about $41 billion annually from the U.S., this agreement would require an additional $100 billion in purchases each year.
Minister Goyal evades the fact that while India’s exports initially faced low U.S. tariffs of two to three percent, the U.S. later unilaterally raised these duties to 25% and even 50% on certain goods. Now, under this deal, the U.S. has agreed to lower these tariffs to a ceiling of 18%. Unfortunately, the Government is portraying this as a victory. There is also no guarantee that the U.S. will respect this limit, given the lack of predictability, stability, and consistency in the Trump administration’s approach.
Strategically, the U.S. is attempting to distance India from time-tested allies such as Russia and Iran. It is also working to sabotage initiatives like the SCO and BRICS, which offer genuine relief to the working people of the Global South. As U.S. imperialism declines, the Trump administration seeks to offset its crisis by shifting the burden onto the working people of countries like India. True to its legacy of collaboration with imperialism, the Sangh Parivar has once again betrayed the people of India.
The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) firmly endorses the demand of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha that Union Minister Piyush Goyal must resign immediately for misleading Parliament and acting as the chief agent in the surrender of India’s agricultural sector to imperialist interests. AIKS calls upon all working people and patriotic sections to intensify the struggle against these pro-imperialist policies. We urge all our units to burn effigies of Modi and Trump on February 12 as part of the general strike.
