Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Congress and its MP Rahul Gandhi of misleading farmers over India’s trade agreements with the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.Shah asserted that the PM Modi-led government had ensured complete protection for agriculture and the dairy sector in every pact.Addressing a gathering in Gandhinagar, Shah dismissed the Opposition’s claims that free trade agreements would damage farmers’ interests. He said the allegations were baseless and aimed at creating fear among cultivators and cattle rearers.Shah said it was ironic that the Congress was speaking about farmers’ welfare. He alleged that the party had a history of misleading the public and was now spreading falsehoods about international trade agreements.He maintained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken special care to shield farmers, fishermen and livestock rearers in every agreement signed with the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.He assured farmers across the country that there was no cause for concern. In all the trade deals, adequate safeguards had been built in to protect Indian agriculture and dairy, he added. He also rejected the Congress’s claim that the agreements would weaken the dairy sector, stating that the present government had in fact strengthened and expanded it.Referring to Gandhi’s remarks that the Prime Minister had damaged India’s dairy industry through trade deals, Shah said such statements were untrue. He asserted that the Modi-led government had ensured full security for dairy farmers in every agreement, while simultaneously opening global markets for Indian agricultural and fisheries products.Shah challenged Gandhi to a public debate on the issue. He said Gandhi could choose any platform and that even the president of the BJP Yuva Morcha would be ready to discuss who had actually harmed farmers and who had worked for their welfare. He reiterated that the Opposition was deliberately misrepresenting the free trade agreements with the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well as the trade arrangement with the United States.Drawing a comparison between the UPA and NDA governments, Shah claimed that the Modi government had procured significantly more grain from farmers at the minimum support price than the Congress-led regime. He said that in 10 years, the NDA had purchased many times more grain than what was procured during the UPA’s tenure. Besides, the agriculture budget had been substantially increased under Modi, rising from Rs 26,000 crore during the previous government to over Rs 1,09,000 crore and later to Rs 1,29,000 crore, he said.The Home Minister further said that while the Congress government had announced farm loan waivers only once in decades, the Modi government had directly transferred Rs 6,000 annually into the bank accounts of farmers for the past 10 years. This, he said, had reduced farmers’ dependence on loans and created a more stable support system.Shah also criticised the earlier Congress government for signing the Dunkel Proposal, alleging that it had left farmers exposed to global competition without adequate safeguards. In contrast, he said, the current government had negotiated trade agreements with care and determination, ensuring that no compromise was made on farmers’ interests.He maintained that Prime Minister Modi would never trade away the interests of farmers, fishermen and livestock rearers under any circumstance. According to Shah, the Prime Minister was firmly committed to protecting rural livelihoods and stood resolute in defence of the agriculture sector.Earlier in the day, Shah launched a transparent and technology-driven public distribution system based on Central Bank Digital Currency in Gandhinagar. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also attended the event by.
