Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday said that the India-US interim trade agreement will not have any negative impact on farmers. Instead, he said it will benefit industry and trade and create new job opportunities for the youth.
He invited farmer groups for dialogue and said that if they find any flaws in the agreement, they should opt for discussion instead of protests.
He said that major crops grown in Punjab, such as wheat, paddy, maize, and sugarcane, have been kept outside the scope of the agreement and will not affect farmers in any way.
Jakhar said that every farmer accepts that agriculture is not a highly profitable occupation. While it supports families, it does not generate enough income to fulfil the aspirations of their children, he said.
“Every family wants their children to find work beyond farming. But this will happen only when new industries come up and trade expands,” he said. He said the agreement is a step in that direction, as it will give Indian industry and trade access to the USD 30 trillion US economy.
As industry and trade grow, new job opportunities will open up for the youth, said Jakhar, who was accompanied by BJP Mohali district unit president Sanjiv Vashisht. Jakhar urged farmer organisations to clearly explain what impact they believe the deal will have on Punjab’s farmers.
He invited them for discussions, assuring that if any farmer bodies feel the agreement could harm farmers in Punjab, they should come forward for talks and all their concerns will be addressed.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully committed to protecting farmers’ interests, and that the same commitment ensured that Punjab farmers’ concerns were protected in this agreement.
He urged farmer organisations to demand the implementation of an agricultural policy in Punjab, which farmers had protested for a year ago, but which is still pending.
Targeting the AAP government, Jakhar said that the law-and-order situation in the state has “worsened considerably” and that drug abuse is destroying the youth. He said if protests are to be held, they should focus on these real issues instead of a non-existent one, as there is nothing anti-Punjab in the trade agreement.
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