India-US trade deal: Rahul Gandhi, Kharge to lead farmers’ protest in Bhopal today
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Bhopal on Tuesday 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.
Sharing details about the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ to be held at Atal Path located in Jawahr Chowk area in the city, Madhya Pradesh Congress media in-charge and former minister Mukesh Nayak told IANS that more than one lakh farmers from across the state are expected to participate.
Nayak shared that the programme is scheduled to begin around 2 pm with the arrival of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Bhopal. He also shared that two large domes have been set up at the venue, with a massive stage arrangement where nearly 250 leaders and office-bearers are expected to sit.
“Bhopal’s Kisan Mahapanchayat will be very crucial for the Congress workers in the state, and it will set the movement for a change in Madhya Pradesh. The people of Madhya Pradesh are fed up with the corruption and anarchy of the BJP for over 20 years,” Nayak said.
Congress MLA Umang Singhar, who is LoP in the state, said that the soybean farmers may face lower prices due to import pressures, while cotton farmers in the Malwa and Nimar regions could suffer losses.
Singhar said, “Kisan Mahapanchayat is being organised in support of farmers and to raise awareness about what the Congress has termed the “anti-farmer implications” of the trade deal.