India-US trade deal: Rahul Gandhi, Kharge to lead farmers’ protest in Bhopal on 24 Feb
Bhopal: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Bhopal on February 24 to lead a major protest against the interim India-US trade framework, which the party alleges severely harms Indian farmers by opening doors to cheaper US imports.
Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari announced the visit, stating: “On February 24, 2026, in Bhopal, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will raise their voice for the rights and privileges of farmers against the injustice being done to them in the India-US trade deal.”
Speaking to the media, Patwari accused the government of yielding under US pressure, claiming the deal has already depressed prices for key crops like soybean, cotton, and maize.
He described it as a “compromise deal” imposed “with a sword on their neck,” adding that Madhya Pradesh’s soybean, maize, and cotton farmers – along with families across the state—are directly affected.
The February 24 event, he said, reflects the party’s commitment to fighting for farmers nationwide. The protest will take the form of a Kisan Sammelan (farmers’ convention) in Bhopal, launching a targeted campaign in vulnerable states: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Bihar.
These regions grow crops like cotton, soybean, maize, fruits, nuts, apples, almonds, and walnuts, which face risks from reduced tariffs and potential influx of US products such as soybean oil, dried distillers’ grains (DDGS), red sorghum, and others.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasised the deal’s adverse effects on cotton, soybean, and maize farmers, labelling it a “total surrender” to US corporate interests without proper safeguards or farmer consultation.
The backlash follows the framework announced earlier this month, sparking nationwide farmer protests, strikes, and symbolic burnings of deal copies.
The Bhopal “Sammelan” (congregation) is the first in a series, with another planned in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, on March 7.
Congress is mobilising with farmer organisations for a broader national movement.