The Samyukt Kisan Morcha announces mass protests and burning of effigies of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump
NEW DELHI – The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of selling out Indian farmers to US imperial interests by agreeing to a zero-per cent import tariff on American goods, particularly agricultural produce. Terming the move a “historic betrayal of the peasantry”, the farmers’ joint platform announced a nationwide general strike on February 12, accompanied by mass protests and the burning of effigies of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump.
In a statement, SKM said the decision marks a complete reversal of Prime Minister Modi’s own declaration from the Red Fort on August 15, 2025, when he claimed he was “personally ready to pay a heavy price to protect the interests of farmers.”
“Today, that promise lies in tatters,” SKM said, accusing the prime minister of shamelessly bowing to Washington’s dictates and opening Indian markets to heavily subsidised US farm products.
The farmers’ platform warned that the deal would flood Indian markets with American agricultural imports, devastating millions of small and marginal farmers. Drawing a stark contrast, SKM pointed out that the United States has just 18.8 lakh farmers (2024 survey), while India has 14.65 crore operational holdings (Agricultural Census 2015). With 48 per cent of India’s workforce and nearly 65 per cent of its population dependent on agriculture and allied sectors, SKM said the agreement threatens to break the backbone of the rural economy.
“While President Trump is openly protecting rural America, Modi is presiding over the destruction of rural India,” the statement said.
SKM cited US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who openly celebrated the deal, stating that it would allow the US to export more farm products to India’s “massive market,” boost American farm prices, inject cash into rural America, and help reduce the $1.3 billion US agricultural trade deficit with India. “This admission exposes who the deal really serves,” SKM said.
Declaring that farmers would “never forgive Modi for this betrayal,” SKM announced a nationwide campaign from February 4 to 11 across villages, culminating in the general strike on February 12, with large-scale protest actions at tehsil headquarters and urban centres across the country.
“This fight is not just about tariffs,” SKM asserted, “it is about sovereignty, livelihoods, and the future of India’s farmers.”
