Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday said that the India-US trade agreement has opened doors for the country’s progress towards becoming a developed nation while providing a protective shield to Indian farmers.
He told the media that the agreement would act as a “runway” to take the country to new heights of development. Also, Punjab’s textile sector will gain. Jakhar said the BJP “understands its responsibility and accountability towards the people, especially farmers, and therefore it is informing the public about various aspects of this trade agreement”.
Urging the Opposition to refrain from misleading propaganda regarding the agreement, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserved congratulations for successfully securing a deal in the national interest amid challenging international circumstances.
The state BJP chief said while the US President is working on the principle of “Make America Great Again”, Prime Minister Modi has pursued the policy of “Make India Great”, ensuring that the agreement fully safeguards India’s agriculture sector while enabling the country to sell its industrial products to the US and purchase advanced technologies as needed.
He added that the Prime Minister has effectively turned difficult global conditions into an opportunity for the country. Following the agreement, Indian goods will face the lowest tariffs in the US compared to competing nations, allowing India to expand its access to American markets.
“This will significantly boost India’s industry and trade,” he said. Jakhar said while the agreement opens new avenues of growth for industries and commerce and creates fresh employment opportunities in the country, the government has also drawn a protective “Lakshman Rekha” around farmers’ interests.
He emphasised that before being a leader, he is a farmer, and as a farmer, he can confidently say that this agreement will not negatively impact any farmer in Punjab. Crops grown by Punjab farmers have been kept outside the purview of the agreement.
Jakhar said, while the agreement “protects farmers, it will also create new job opportunities for the next generation of farming families who are moving into other professions. Under this agreement, agricultural goods worth $1 billion from India will also be exported to the US at zero per cent tariff”.
He added that the US textile market is worth $345 billion, of which India’s share is only five per cent, while China’s share has ranged between 25 and 35 per cent. With India now gaining access to this market at lower tariffs compared to China, the Indian textile industries will directly benefit, and Punjab’s textile sector will also gain.
“This, in turn, will positively impact Punjab’s economy. Operational factories will generate employment, increase revenue, and pave the way for new development.” He said for India, “to secure its place in the emerging global economy, it is essential for the country to become the factory of the world”.
Appealing to people to understand the facts, he remarked that Opposition parties are aware of the truth but are opposing the agreement merely for the sake of opposition.