In a sharp rebuttal to opposition criticism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on Sunday that recent India-US and India-EU trade agreements pose no threat to farmers. Launching Gujarat’s pioneering CBDC-powered PDS in Gandhinagar, Shah detailed how the Modi administration meticulously shielded agriculture, dairy, and fisheries from any adverse effects.
Blasting Rahul Gandhi and Congress for ‘spreading falsehoods,’ Shah quipped that their farmer protection rhetoric in Parliament is laughable given their track record. He pointed to PM Modi’s personal oversight in negotiations, ensuring ironclad safeguards for key rural sectors.
Under PM Manmohan Singh, the farm budget languished at Rs 26,000 crore; today, it stands at Rs 1.29 lakh crore—a fivefold jump. MSP purchases have skyrocketed 15 times higher than UPA levels over the past decade.
Shah lambasted Congress for decades of empty loan waiver promises while the NDA directly credits Rs 6,000 to farmers’ accounts, freeing them from debt traps. On dairy fears, he reaffirmed total protection in all pacts and invited Gandhi for an open debate, extending the challenge to BJP youth wing leadership.
This comes after PM Modi’s Trump summit yielded a US trade pact, following the EU agreement sealed last month. Shah’s address paints a picture of robust policy continuity, prioritizing farmer welfare amid global trade shifts and domestic political battles.