Farmers protest US Vice-Prez’s visit
Members of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) staged a demonstration against the visit of US Vice President JD Vance today. They burnt his effigy in protest of what they alleged that there was a bilateral agreement between India and the United States, which undermines the interests of Indian farmers.
The protest was jointly led by Manish Yadav, head of the Roopgarh protest site. “Farmers have been staging a dharna to protest the laying of oil pipelines through farm lands at Roopgarh,” said Ramphal Deswal, district president of the AIKS.
Addressing the gathering, Comrade Om Prakash, district vice president of the Kisan Sabha and a leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, said the US Vice President had come to India to finalise a trade agreement.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s previous visit to the USA, where he held discussions with President Donald Trump, Om Prakash alleged that agreements stemming from those discussions appear to favour the USA which would be selling expensive arms and petroleum products to India, while pressuring India to halt cheaper oil imports from Iran and Russia.
He further alleged that the USA wants to impose high tariffs on Indian exports, while pushing for removal of tariffs on its goods entering India. “If tariffs on Indian imports are eliminated, it will devastate our farmers, agriculture and domestic industries,” he said, urging the Indian government to safeguard the interests of farmers.
The protesters also criticised the Central Government’s silence on the alleged mistreatment of the Indian youth who entered the USA via illegal immigration routes, often referred to as the “Donkey Route”. “These youth were handcuffed like criminals, yet our Prime Minister failed to object or raise the issue with the US authorities,” said Om Prakash.
He said American imperialism was fuelling global conflicts to sell its weapons and sustain its economy, while doing little to help developing countries tackle environmental challenges. “The USA has rendered institutions like the United Nations ineffective. It is time that the people of India unite against such imperialism,” he said.
Among those present at the protest were AIKS members Pratap Singh Singhmar, Mahabir Fauji, Satish Kumar, Manish Yadav, sarpanch Ravi Kumar, Bhagat Raj, Captain Rajbir (retd), Subedar Rohtash (retd), Sher Singh, Pramod Numberdar, Dinesh Yadav, Phool Singh, Kamal Deep, Jaipal, Sandeep Sai and other farmers.
Haryana Tribune