New Delhi

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday met leaders of farm unions from across the country at the Parliament House complex, where discussions focused on launching a nationwide movement to oppose the India–US interim trade deal and on safeguarding the livelihoods of farmers and farm labourers.

According to the Indian National Congress, farm union leaders conveyed strong opposition to the trade agreement and expressed deep concern over its potential impact on farmers engaged in crops such as corn, soybean, cotton, fruits and nuts. Gandhi was told that the deal could adversely affect agricultural incomes and market stability.

The Congress said Gandhi remarked that the agreement had opened the door to agricultural imports and warned that more crops could be affected in the future. The meeting, the party added, underlined the need for a large-scale national mobilisation to resist the deal and protect the interests of farmers and farm labourers.

Farm leaders present at the meeting included All India Kisan Congress chief Sukhpal S Khaira, Ashok Balhara of the Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union (Haryana), Baldev Singh Zira of BKU Krantikari, R Nandkumar of the Progressive Farmers Front, Amarjit Singh Mohri of BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Guramneet Singh Mangat of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha–India, and Hameed Malik of the Jammu and Kashmir Zamindara Forum, among others.

The meeting came a day after Gandhi asserted that he would continue to stand with farmers even if cases or a privilege motion were initiated against him. He had accused Narendra Modi of being “anti-farmer” and alleged that the government was “selling” the country through the India–US interim trade deal.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had earlier shared a video statement on X, launching a sharp attack on the government over the agreement. In a post in Hindi accompanying the video, Gandhi said, “Whether an FIR is filed, a case is registered, or a privilege motion is brought, I will fight for the farmers.”

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“Any trade deal that takes away farmers’ livelihoods or weakens the country’s food security is anti-farmer. We will not allow the Modi government to compromise the interests of those who feed the nation,” he had said.