Chandigarh, February 5 (Harbans singh )
No agreement has so far been signed between India and the United States regarding duty-free trade (Free Trade) involving dairy products or the agriculture sector. Farmers are being deliberately misled on this issue. This was stated by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliewal while addressing the media in Chandigarh on Wednesday. BJP Punjab media in-charge Vineet Joshi was also present on the occasion.
Baliewal alleged that the opposition is spreading misinformation by claiming that the proposed trade agreement would harm Punjab’s agriculture and dairy farming sectors, whereas in reality no final proposal has been prepared so far. He said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is creating an atmosphere of fear in the state without any supporting documents.
Challenging the Aam Aadmi Party, Baliewal said that if it possesses any copy of such an agreement, it should be made public. He pointed out that AAP Rajya Sabha MP and noted industrialist Rajinder Gupta has already described the agreement as beneficial, while Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora has also termed it in Punjab’s interest. At the same time, several AAP leaders are calling the agreement anti-Punjab and anti-farmer.
He said these contradictory statements clearly indicate that there is no clarity within AAP itself. In fact, AAP is opposing the agreement publicly only to gain political mileage.
Baliewal said that if AAP truly believes the agreement is against farmers, it should officially register its opposition with the Central Government through its own administration. He added that it is inappropriate to do politics by keeping farmers away from the truth.
Appealing to farmers, Pritpal Singh Baliewal urged them not to fall prey to any misleading propaganda. He asserted that if any trade agreement is finalised in the future, it will be framed keeping the interests of farmers and dairy producers in mind, and it will lead to increased investment and income in the agricultural sector.
