Farmers protest over US Vice-President’s visit

Farmers, led by office-bearers of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), have launched a protest against the visit of US Vice-President JD Vance.

Rallies and meetings were held at villages falling under the jurisdiction of Ludhiana and Malerkotla districts in response to a national-level call given by the farmer’s wing of CPI (M) on Sunday.

In a statement the AIKS had called upon all its units across the country to hold mass demonstrations, burn effigies of Vance and raise slogans—‘Vance Go Back’ and ‘India is not for sale’—in villages and at higher levels on Monday.

Activists, led by state leader Baldev Latala and Sikandar Jartoli, highlighted the alleged apthy and ‘silence’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards US President Donald Trump’s hostile attitude against India and several other countries.

Speakers including Latala, Jartoli, Kuldeep Singh, Rajinder Singh, Amarjit Singh, Harpreet Singh, Jagroop Singh and Bhupinder Singh alleged that Trump’s decision to impose a 26 per cent tariff on the agricultural products of India would affect all sections of society including farmers, labourers, employees and small traders and the corporate sector would exploit the situation.

The leaders further said that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s assertion that India should open its agriculture market and that the agriculture cannot be ‘off the table’ in the negotiation for the Bilateral Trade Agreement should be taken up during Vance’s talks with the Indian leaders. The protestors announced jathas of activists would go to Delhi to protest the visit.

Ludhiana