Desh Bachao Morcha has called a Mahapanchayat to protest the proposed India-US bilateral agreement. The Maha Panchayat will be held at Kishan Ghat in Delhi on Tuesday. Thousands of farmers in Punjab have already left to join it. The organizers claim that around 550 farmers and various social organizations will participate in the event.
Before leaving for Delhi, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangram Samiti leader Germanjit Singh Bandala told reporters in Beas that the country’s farmers, labourers, small traders and the general public would suffer the most if the proposed trade deal is implemented.
“This deal is to protect the interests of American farmers and big companies. It does not think of the small and marginal farmers of India,” he alleged.
Bandala claims that thousands of acres of land are cultivated in the United States. Farmers receive large government subsidies. But most of the farmers in India have only two to one and a half acres of land. Government aid is much less than that. He fears, “As a result of this deal, agricultural products from the US will enter India at lower prices. As a result, it will be difficult for Indian farmers to stay competitive,” he said.
Bandala urged the government to protect the agricultural sector from foreign competition. “The central government was forced to sign this agreement under pressure from the US,” he alleged. “Its impact will not be limited to the agricultural sector, but it will also have a negative impact on small businesses and employment,” he said. He said that not only Punjab but also farmers from different parts of the country will join the Mahapanchayat.
However, the Delhi Police is also ready to stop the movement of farmers. Barricades have already been installed at various places in the capital. Bandala said that if the administration stops them from entering Delhi, the farmers will protest peacefully wherever they are stopped. He also warned of widespread agitation if the proposed India-US trade agreement is not scrapped. Bandala said, the struggle will continue until our demands are met.