Samyukt Kisan Morcha demands Goyal’s resignation, asks PM to refrain from signing deal with U.S.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha demands Piyush Goyal's resignation and protests against the U.S.-India trade deal's impact on farmers.

As soon as Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal explained the details of the India-United States bilateral trade agreement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) demanded his immediate resignation. Leaders of apple and cotton growers said any relaxation to the import of cotton will be disastrous for States such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Talking to reporters at a press conference on Saturday (February 7, 2026), the leaders of SKM said the framework for the interim agreement on U.S.-India trade is a total surrender before the multinational giants of U.S. agriculture sector. Particularly citing the inclusion of dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products in the joint statement, the SKM leaders said control of the animal feed market will be completely monopolised by U.S. companies.

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SKM leaders urged farmers to join protest demonstrations on February 12 and support the general strike of workers as a “befitting reply to the anti-people Modi government”.

The framework, the leaders said, the claim of Mr. Goyal that the agriculture and dairy sectors are out of the agreement was wrong. “Dairy products are part of the FTAs signed with the U.K., New Zealand and European Union and the fresh revelations have undoubtedly proved the Commerce Minister is consciously propagating falsehood and betraying the farmers and the entire people. SKM considers the role of Commerce Minister as a traitor and demands his immediate resignation. Also, SKM demands the Prime Minister to desist from signing the India-US Free Trade Agreement or face massive pan-India united mass struggles,” the SKM leaders said.

The leaders said the U.S. tariff on Indian goods has actually risen from zero to 3% in 2023-24 to 18%, while Indian tariff rates on U.S. agriculture products that stood at 30% to 150% are now down to zero. “This will make Indian agriculture hang by the noose of U.S. MNCs,” they said.