Chandigarh, March 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Education Minister and MLA Pargat Singh today once again launched a strong attack on the Central Government in the Punjab Assembly over the proposed *India–United States trade agreement*. He said that this is not a trade agreement but a surrender by the Prime Minister before the United States. Such agreements, he said, are made between equal countries.
He also remarked that the “fourth pillar of democracy” in the country has remained silent on this issue. He appealed to the MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party government in the Assembly to come forward and fight together so that small farmers, laborers, and small traders of Punjab and neighboring states—who depend heavily on agriculture—can be protected.
Referring to the proposal he had presented in the House on February 26, Pargat Singh also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that when weakness appears in the character of a king, it becomes the weakness of the entire nation. According to him, this agreement is a direct attack on the foundation of India’s farming sector.
He stated that there can be no comparison between agricultural trade in India and the United States. According to him, the U.S. provides subsidies of about ₹1.5 lakh crore to its farmers, while Indian farmers receive only ₹6,000 per family as subsidy. “There is a huge difference between agriculture in India and the U.S. This is not an agreement but a surrender,” he said, adding that if import duties are reduced to zero, the Indian market will not be able to sustain itself.
He also referred to the G20 summit, where it was stated that large countries should not enter and dominate the markets of smaller and developing nations.
Raising the issue of a proposed 11 percent reduction in duty on cotton, Pargat Singh said that if tariffs on cotton are reduced, there will be no competition between Indian and American cotton. American cotton would flood the Indian market, severely affecting agriculture-dependent states such as Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
He further stated that the United States has an annual trade volume of about $500 billion, while India’s trade is around $40–42 billion. If India reaches $100 billion in annual trade, the country’s financial position could weaken, leading to a significant rise in the trade deficit.
He added that reducing tariffs would increase pressure on Minimum Support Price. Since the government has not provided sufficiently high MSPs and imports would rise, India could eventually be forced into surrendering its domestic market.
In conclusion, Pargat Singh appealed to the Aam Aadmi Party government and all its MLAs in Punjab to come forward and speak on this issue. He said that only then will pressure build on the Central Government. “We must make it clear that we stand with the small farmers, laborers, and small traders of Punjab and are committed to protecting them,” he said.
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