'You Signed Dunkel Proposal, Opened Up Agri Sector...': Amit Shah Hits Out at Rahul Gandhi, Assures Farmers on US Trade Deal

New Delhi: Coming down heavily on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for criticising the India-US trade deal, igniting fears that it compromises on farmers' interests as it opens up the country's vulnerable agricultural sector to the United States, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the then Manmohan Singh-led government had done what the grand old party is now accusing of, by signing the Dunkel Proposal.

Assuring all livestock farmers, fishermen and agriculturists that the BJP government would never take any action that would harm their interests, Shah said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never compromise on your interests. This is impossible. You had done this, when Manmohan Singh's government was in power and you signed the Dunkel Proposal.”

Reminding the Congress, that they were swept out of power in 2014 and the subsequent Narendra Modi government overturned many of their contentious international agreements, Shah said, “It is by God's grace that people bid good-bye to you in 2014, PM Modi came to power, and changed that agreement. You guys had opened up India's agricultural sector to the world. PM Modi, with all his confidence, overturned your doing. Even today, he is standing like a rock to protect the interests of farmers.”

Throwing down the gauntlet at Rahul Gandhi, Shah invited him to an open contest with the BJP Youth president Tejasvi Surya. “I would like to challenge Rahul Gandhi. Choose any stage of your own. The BJP Yuva president will debate with you, who did more damage (to the farmers).”

“I would like to assure all of you that Rahul Gandhi is speaking lies, he is misleading the country's farmers,” he said.

Speaking at Gandhinagar where he launched a Public Distribution System (PDS) based on Central Bank Digital Currency, Amit Shah also assured dairy farmers saying, “This is the land of dairy farmers. What lies are you peddling, Rahul Gandhi? You are saying that PM Modi has dismantled the dairy sector by signing the trade deal? We are the ones who paved the way ahead for expansion of the dairy sector. In all the three agreements (FTA with UK, EU Trade Deal, and the US Trade Deal), we have completely secured the interests of dairy farmers.”

Comparing how the Narendra Modi government has been serving the interests of the farmers, with how the Congress had contributed to the agriculture sector when they were in power, the Union Home Minister listed out several startling facts.

“I feel amused when the country's Shehzada Rahul Gandhi speak in Parliament for the farmers. How much grains did you buy from farmers when you were power? In the last 10 years, we have bought 15 times more on MSP than the time when you were in power. At your time the budget for the agriculture sector was Rs 26,000 crore. Now we have increased it to Rs 1,29,000 crore. In 70 years you have been misleading farmers' saying that you will be waiving off their loans, while we have been paying Rs 6,000 to them every year for the last 10 years," he said.

What Rahul Gandhi Claimed

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on the Centre on Sunday over the framework of India-US trade deal, stating that the country is witnessing a “betrayal of Indian farmers”.

"We are witnessing a betrayal of India's farmers in the name of a US trade deal. I want to ask the Prime Minister a few simple questions: What exactly does importing DDG mean? Does it mean Indian cattle will be fed distillers grain made from GM American corn? Won't this effectively make our milk production dependent on the American agricultural industry?," Rahul Gandhi posted on X.

The Congress MP also questioned if imports of US GM soybean oil would be allowed as part of the this deal and what would be its impact on soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. He also sought clarity over the term "additional products", asking that whether there would be pressure on India to open up pulses and other crop markets to US imports in future.

"What does removing "non-trade barriers" actually mean? Will India face pressure in the future to soften its stand on GM crops, weaken procurement, or reduce MSP and bonuses? Once this door is opened, how will we stop it from being opened wider every year? Will there be any safeguards, or will more and more crops be quietly placed on the table in every successive deal? Farmers deserve clear answers to these questions. This is not just about today. This is about the future -- are we allowing another country to establish a long-term grip over India's agricultural sector?" Rahul Gandhi posed on 'X'.

What Is Dunkel Proposal

The Dunkel Proposal was a document aimed at resolving the Uruguay Round negotiations conduced under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1991. The proposal became contentious as it proposed cuts to domestic support and export subsidies, that threatened India's Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and Public Distribution System (PDS) programs. India signed this proposal in April 15, 1994, as part of the Marrakesh Agreement. 

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