India–US Trade Deal Is Suicidal, ‘Make in India’ Reduced to a Slogan: Ashok Vishwakarma.
Varanasi: Ashok Kumar Vishwakarma, State Vice President of the Uttar Pradesh OBC Department of the Congress Committee, has termed the India–US trade deal a “suicidal step” and said that it would cause severe damage to Indian farmers and agricultural products.
In a press statement, Vishwakarma said that the deal has exposed the government’s Make in India slogan as nothing more than an empty catchphrase. He warned that opening Indian markets to the United States would badly hurt domestic industries. The influx of American agricultural products, he said, would adversely affect the security and profitability of Indian farmers.
He alleged that under this trade deal, the government has sacrificed farmers’ interests at the negotiating table. Vishwakarma further stated that India would now stop purchasing oil from Russia and instead buy it from the United States and Venezuela. This, he claimed, shows that the government has chosen to abandon an old and trusted friend like Russia in favor of American interests.
Reiterating his criticism, he said that the Make in India slogan has remained only on paper and has turned into a mere jumla (rhetorical promise). The flood of foreign goods, he added, would have a negative impact on domestic manufacturing as well.
