Ahmedabad, Sep 7 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday accused the central government of “betraying India’s farmers” by scrapping the 11 per cent import duty on American cotton, warning that the move would crash domestic prices below Rs 900 and push cultivators into debt and despair.
Speaking after his planned Kisan Mahapanchayat in Chotila was postponed due to waterlogging, Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “sacrificing farmers to please Trump,” while ignoring the parallel crisis faced by lakhs of diamond workers in Surat hit by a 50 per cent US tariff.
He demanded the immediate restoration of the 11 per cent duty on imported cotton and the fixation of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,100 per 20 kg, along with assured procurement.
“Our farmers sowed cotton in June-July after taking loans for seeds, fertilisers and labour. Their harvest is due in October-November, but the government’s decision has pulled the rug from under them. American cotton is now cheaper, and textile mills are already placing bulk orders from the US. What will happen to our farmers’ crops?” Kejriwal asked.
He reminded that in 2013, cotton prices in Gujarat were Rs 1,500-Rs 1,700 per 20 kg, and Modi, as Chief Minister, had called them “too low” and demanded Rs 2,500. “Eleven years later, farmers aren’t even getting Rs 1,200. Input costs have shot up, yet prices are falling. Once US cotton floods the market, they’ll barely get Rs 900. American farmers will profit while ours are ruined,” Kejriwal said.
Linking the duty removal to international politics, the AAP chief alleged that PM Modi was acting under pressure from Trump.
Kejriwal also highlighted the plight of diamond workers in Surat, who he said were “struggling to pay school fees or arrange two meals a day” after Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on polished diamonds.
“Other countries retaliated against Trump’s tariffs, and he backed down. Why is India silent? Why can’t Modi show America its place? We are a nation of 140 crore with a huge consumer market. Impose 75 per cent or even 100 per cent tariff on American goods — Trump will cave. That’s how the world deals with him,” he said.
AAP placed four key demands before the Centre: restoration of the 11 per cent duty on cotton, MSP at Rs 2,100 per 20 kg, guaranteed procurement, and subsidies on inputs like seeds and fertilisers.
The AAP chief also attacked Congress for its “silence” on the issue. “Congress has nothing to do with farmers or workers. They are too busy serving the BJP’s interests,” he claimed.
–IANS
janvi/uk