Farmers fully protected in India-US trade deal, Congress misleading nation: Shivraj Singh Chouhan (IANS interview)

New Delhi, Feb 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday asserted that the India–US trade agreement fully safeguards the interests of Indian growers, rejecting Opposition claims that the agriculture sector has been compromised. Describing the deal as a balanced outcome rooted in diplomacy, development and national dignity, Chouhan said tariff rationalisation would expand export opportunities for Indian produce while keeping domestic markets protected.

He also launched a sharp attack on the Congress for what he termed a campaign of misinformation and political frustration over the agreement.

Here is the full interview:

IANS: Being Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, how do you see the India-US trade deal and what impact will it have on our agriculture sector?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: I want to sincerely thank Prime Minister Modi from the bottom of my heart today. Yesterday in Parliament, our Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also made it very clear that this trade deal is a remarkable example of diplomacy, development, and dignity.

While safeguarding India’s interests, full attention has been given to farmers. As the Agriculture Minister, I say with complete responsibility that the interests of Indian farmers are fully protected in this trade deal. Complete care has been taken of our growers. No market has been opened up for our major food grains, our key fruits, or our millets. Our farmers are completely protected.

On the contrary, a reduction in tariffs will benefit our farmers, especially considering how much rice we export. Last year, we exported rice worth Rs 63,000 crore. This export will increase further. Exports of rice, spices, and textiles will all see growth.

The textile sector, in particular, is playing a very significant role in our export landscape. And when textile exports increase, cotton growers will also benefit. Overall, this trade deal is in the interest of India and in the interest of Indian farmers, and their interests are fully protected.

IANS: The Opposition is claiming that the agriculture sector has been sold off under this trade deal, what do you want to say on this?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Congress is a shop of lies, a factory of confusion, and a marketplace of rumours. They are trying to create chaos by spreading falsehoods. They have never won on the ground, and the frustration and despair from their continuous defeats are now manifesting as the Congress’ bitterness. They cannot see the bund of the fields; all they see are the steps to power.

They are behaving in an undignified manner and have torn apart democratic norms. They have turned Parliament into a street crossing. And it pains me deeply to say this. I have won elections 12 times. I have been a member of the Legislative Assembly and I am now in the Lok Sabha. Saying this today, my heart is filled with anguish, pain and distress. Will behaviour like that of hooligans now be carried out inside Parliament? Such despair, such hopelessness, such deep frustration!

You will stop the Prime Minister from speaking? You are not allowing the Commerce Minister to speak either. And the way comments were made yesterday — sitting on the steps of Parliament and passing remarks at MPs as they came and went — this is something we used to see only during our student politics days. Back then, student leaders would make such immature comments against each other.

IANS: What is your reaction to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi calling Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, who hails from the Sikh community, a "traitor."

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: This is a display of their frustration. To call a leader a traitor — a minister whose family has fought against terrorism and has made the supreme sacrifice — is extremely unfortunate. In opposing the BJP, Rahul Gandhi and the entire Congress have gone so far that they now appear to be opposing the nation itself. The people are watching this cheap and immature behaviour.

Also, trying to undermine the dignity of the Prime Minister is unacceptable. The Prime Minister is not just an individual; it is a constitutional post, a matter of national pride and honour, and a symbol of our self-respect. If you make such comments against the Prime Minister and against our respected Minister Bittu, the entire country is watching. Earlier too, the people punished the Congress for insulting the Prime Minister, and this time as well, the public will not spare them. This mindset of the Congress will ultimately destroy the Congress itself.

IANS: Before this trade deal was finalised, the Prime Minister had said that this deal would cause him personal political loss. Your comments on this?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: I bow to the Prime Minister for this, even as a citizen. He had said that he would not allow the country to bow down, and he has never let the nation bow. He had also said that the interests of farmers would be fully protected, even if it caused him personal loss. He has not only completely safeguarded the interests of farmers, but the recent trade deals — including those with different countries and the European Union — will greatly benefit farmers as well.

IANS: The way the Prime Minister was not being allowed to speak in the House, and an unpublished book was being quoted, is this how Parliament is supposed to function?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: I have said that a frustrated, disappointed and resentful Congress has become ideologically bankrupt, and that is why, while opposing an individual, it ends up opposing the nation itself — and the entire country is watching this.

IANS: After this deal, US products will enter the country. What is the truth behind this?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: I have already said this, and I am saying it again — the interests of India’s farmers are fully protected.

Source: IANS