New Delhi, Feb 24 (NationPress) Senior Congress figure Pawan Khera on Tuesday criticized the central government regarding the interim India-US trade framework, asserting that this agreement significantly jeopardizes Indian farmers by allowing the influx of cheaper agricultural products from the United States. He contended that even Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, remains unaware of the specifics of the deal.

Khera is currently in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, to join a protest against the India-US trade agreement. In an interview with IANS, he raised concerns about the deal's transparency and accused the government of neglecting the interests of farmers.

“Ask them — did they even read the deal? Even Piyush Goyal doesn’t know what’s included. Whatever comes from the US, they all immediately consent. The Agriculture Minister should be especially ashamed, for it is Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has truly harmed farmers in his own state,” Khera stated to IANS.

The protest in Bhopal is part of the Congress party's larger campaign against the trade framework. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are set to spearhead a significant farmers’ convention, or ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat,’ in the state capital.

During discussions about the party’s ‘Kisan Maha Chaupal’ initiative, Khera revealed that the next Mahachaupal is scheduled to occur in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. “Maharashtra holds great significance due to its extensive cotton cultivation. Additionally, there is considerable soybean farming, and the agreement made by the Centre has inflicted the most damage on soybean farmers there,” he remarked.

Congress national spokesperson Abhay Dubey asserted that the BJP government had “lost its moral compass” and adversely affected farmers’ incomes through international trade agreements.

MP State Congress President Jitu Patwari claimed that following the clarity regarding the trade framework, soybean and cotton prices in Madhya Pradesh have plummeted by nearly 30 percent.

Patwari noted that farmers in the state—one of the largest producers of soybean, cotton, and maize—are already facing hardships due to unmet MSP promises and previous policy decisions. “I challenge the state’s Chief Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture—they are deceiving the public,” he asserted.

“Farmers are the backbone of this nation. India, as an agriculture-centric country, links the largest population to farming. The government has let down farmers through the three farm laws, attempted to enact the Land Acquisition Act, and failed to fulfill its MSP promises. In Madhya Pradesh, soybean, cotton, and maize production ranks among the highest, yet not a single crop is sold at MSP. Since the announcement of the trade deal clarity, prices have decreased by 30 percent, harming our farmers... I challenge the state’s Chief Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture for misleading the populace,” he claimed.

According to party officials, over one lakh farmers are expected to gather at the Kisan Mahapanchayat at Atal Path in Bhopal.