SKM Condemns US-India Trade Talks; 'BKU (Ekta Ugrahan)' Clashes with Police

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a pan-India alliance of farmers’ unions, has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government over the proposed India-US trade deal, warning that the agreement represents a ‘total surrender before US imperialism’ and poses an existential threat to Indian agriculture, rural livelihoods, and food sovereignty. In a statement, SKM said, 'Even as the government hides behind silence and ambiguity, Trump’s (US President Donald Trump) declaration and Modi’s (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi) welcome make the character of the deal unmistakably clear.' Calling the deal 'nothing but capitulation in the face of Trump’s threats,' the All India Kisan Sabha (farmers group), a constituent of SKM, accused the PM of 'shamelessly surrendering India’s national interests. SKM warned that the deal, coming on the heels of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement and ongoing negotiations with the UK, would constitute a 'double whammy' for workers, peasants, and small producers, accelerating deindustrialization, unemployment, and agrarian distress. While the Indian government ‌has defended ‌the negotiations on the agreement, various farmer unions and alliances have announced a general strike on 12 Feb. Meanwhile, on 6 Feb, the Panjab police detained several leaders from farmers’ union Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) in the state. The detention was in view of their proposed gathering at Bhucho Khurd village in Bathinda district. The gathering was to protest the arrest of two union members Baldev Singh Chauke and Sagandeep Singh Jeond, who were arrested for assaulting the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rahul Bhardwaj and have been lodged in Bathinda jail since 5 Apr 2025. The union members were supporting teachers protesting against corruption at a school in Chauke village and were backing the protesting residents of Jeond village against takeover of their land. The land issue in Jeond village goes back to the Muzhara (tenant farmer) movement, which started in the 1930s. Both villages are in Bathinda district. Condemning the detention, senior BKU leader Jhanda Singh Jethuke said the government had ‘backstabbed’ the farmers. The police blocked the farmers’ march to the District Administrative Complex in Bathinda and Barnala and resorted to barricading roads, shelling tear gas and caning the farmers. The farmers detained DSP Gurpreet Singh and other policemen who were later released. BKU Ekta Ugrahan has postponed their agitation until 14 Feb (earlier coverage).