Modi Visits Panjab, Criticizes Opposition; Farmers to Protest Indo-US FTA

July

2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of rail and road infrastructure projects worth USD 570M in Jalandhar on 17 Jul. PM Modi also inaugurated 75 redeveloped railway stations, including Jalandhar Cantonment (Cantt), under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (Railway Station Improvement). PM Modi was accompanied by the Union Minister of Railways and Information and Broadcasting, Ashwani Vaishnav, and also flagged off the Sant Ravidas Express Train from Jalandhar Cantt railway station. The train connects Amritsar and Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi is the birthplace of Bhagat or Guru Ravidas, well revered among the Dalit (marginalized caste) community. This was PM Modi's second visit to Jalandhar after he visited the Dera (sect) Sachkhand in village Ballan, Jalandhar district in February. The visit has launched Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Panjab campaign, with an attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government over law and order. He accused Indian National Congress of being caught up in infighting and Shiromani Akali Dal of being too selfish to work for the state's progress. He said, 'Only BJP can bring about real badlav (change),' and added, 'Those ruling Panjab would earlier boast of changing the politics of the country but now their reality lies bare before the entire country.' However, a day after PM Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Jalandhar Cantt railway station with a promise of an 'airport-like experience', several of the much-touted facilities remain out of reach of passengers, with many struggling to find even basic amenities. Meanwhile, farmers from Panjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh left for Delhi to participate in a Kisan Mahapanchayat (big gathering) under the banner of Desh Bachao Morcha (Save the Country Front) on 21 Jul, demanding cancellation of the proposed Indo-US Free Trade Agreement. Farmer union Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee secretary, Sarwan Singh Pandher, said both countries have agreed to work towards negotiating the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by fall 2026. He added, 'This indicates the proposed agreement will not be limited to a few commodities but may encompass agriculture, dairy, industry, digital trade, e-commerce, investment, government procurement, intellectual property rights, and the services sector.’ As Panjab farmers leave for New Delhi, the Haryana government has closed the Shambhu inter-state border between Panjab and Haryana as it had done during Farmers Protest 2.0 (2024–25) (earlier coverage).