India-U.S. trade pact will hit farmers, says Kanimozhi

The India-U.S. agreement signed by the Union government favoured the U.S. and it would badly affect the domestic farmers, said DMK MP Kanimozhi.

Stating that the goods exported by India would attract 18% tax, she said those imported from the U.S. will have no tax at all. She warned that the agricultural produce from the U.S. would be dumped in India.

“Foodgrains produced by Indian farmers could not compete with the U.S. goods. What will happen to the future of Indian farmers?” she asked.

She was speaking at the DMK Youth Wing Conference at Kalkurichi near here in Virudhunagar district on Saturday.

For the first time in the history of Indian Parliament, the motion to thank President for her address to the House has been passed without the address of the Prime Minister, she said. “The Prime Minister did not come to the House as the opposition parties questioned him as to where he was when the country’s security was under threat. He could not give an answer,” the MP said.

Stating that the Prime Minister was expected to give a reply at least after evicting all MPs of the Opposition parties, but that did not happen.

She flayed the reason given by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla that the Prime Minister was advised not to come to the Lok Sabha to avoid threat from the women MPs.

Quoting the iconic slogan of former US PResident Barack Obama, “Yes, We Can,” Ms. Kanimozhi told the youth wing cadres “Yes, You Can” help bring about a change in the national politics.

Senior parties leaders K.N. Nehru, I. Periyasamy, Tiruchi Siva, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, and Thangam Thennarasu were present.