[Marxistindia] US-India Trade Deal - Attack on our Sovereignty

[news from the cpi(m)]

February 08, 2026

 

Press Statement

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:

 

US-India Trade Deal - Attack on our Sovereignty

 

As details of the Indo-US trade deal slowly emerge, it is becoming evident
that the BJP-led Union government has made sweeping concessions to the
United States in the so-called 'interim deal'. These concessions pose a
serious threat to India's economy, agriculture, and national sovereignty.

 

Even according to the partial information available in the public domain,
the Indian government has agreed not to levy any tariff (zero tariff) on US
exports of fruits, cotton, tree nuts, soybean oil, and certain other food
and agricultural products. This decision will severely damage the
livelihoods of lakhs of apple growers, cotton and soy farmers across the
country.

 

Apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states are
already suffering due to trade agreements signed earlier with countries such
as New Zealand. The present deal with the US will further destroy their
livelihoods. Cotton farmers, already burdened by rising input costs and
deepening agrarian distress, will face similar devastation.

 

Reports also indicate that the Indian government has agreed to remove
non-tariff barriers on food and agricultural products. This would
effectively mean a rollback of support and subsidies for Indian farmers,
exposing them to competition from heavily subsidised US farm products and
making Indian agriculture increasingly unviable.

 

This trade deal is a blow to our sovereignty, as the US is dictating our
policies, including decisions on our purchase of oil from Russia. The
Executive Order issued by US President Donald Trump establishes a monitoring
mechanism to assess our compliance with these dictates and threatens the
imposition of tariffs if they are violated. This is a shameful surrender by
the BJP-led government.

 

It is highly deplorable that the government has committed to increasing its
dependence on US defence supplies, which will be detrimental to India's
strategic interests.

 

The CPI(M) reiterates its demand that the complete details of the deal be
placed immediately before Parliament and made public. The government must be
compelled to desist from signing any agreement that is harmful to the
interests of Indian workers, farmers, and the people at large.

 

 

Muralidharan

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office

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