Congress MLA Pargat Singh Issues Stern Warning Over India-US Trade Agreement
Former education minister and senior Congress legislator Pargat Singh delivered a forceful critique on Friday, asserting that the proposed India-United States trade agreement represents a severe and immediate danger to the nation, with Punjab's agricultural community standing on the front lines of this looming crisis.
Allegations of Political Silence and Capitulation
Singh pointedly questioned the Aam Aadmi Party's conspicuous lack of substantive action, characterizing their response as mere political theater. He expressed deep concern over Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's continued silence on what he termed a pivotal national issue. "Why is the AAP government, so vocal on other matters, maintaining a deafening silence on an agreement that threatens the very backbone of our state's economy?" Singh asked.
The Congress leader went further, alleging that Chief Minister Mann had "capitulated entirely" before Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the trade pact's provisions. This alleged surrender, according to Singh, directly imperils the welfare of farmers and the future of agriculture across Punjab and India.
Dire Economic Predictions for Farmers
Pargat Singh painted a grim picture of the potential consequences. He emphasized that Punjab's farmers are already struggling under the dual burden of unremunerative crop prices and relentlessly escalating input costs for fertilizers, seeds, and fuel.
- The influx of cheap, subsidized agricultural produce from the United States—such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and dairy products—would, in his view, "spell utter ruin" for India's small and marginal landholders.
- He argued that the vast majority of Indian farmers operate on a small scale and are ill-equipped to compete with multinational agribusiness giants that would benefit from the trade deal.
- Singh also echoed fears expressed by various farmer unions that international trade pressures could systematically erode the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and critical agricultural subsidies, dismantling key pillars of India's farm policy.
Accusations of Deception and a Firm Stance
The senior Congress leader accused the government of attempting to mislead the farming community by highlighting selective benefits of the agreement while obscuring its broader, damaging impacts. "They are peddling half-truths, but the farmers of Punjab are wise to this game. They will not be hoodwinked," Singh declared.
In a firm commitment, Pargat Singh affirmed that the Congress party would stand unwavering in its defense of farmer welfare and would not compromise on this fundamental principle. He concluded that the AAP's reticence on the trade deal only serves to underscore that the party is "toeing the BJP's line," abandoning its professed pro-farmer stance for political expediency.
