SRINAGAR: A coalition of ten central trade unions aligned with opposition parties, in coordination with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), has announced a nationwide protest on August 13. The demonstration will oppose the United States decision to impose a 25% tariff and unspecified penalties on countries purchasing military equipment and oil from Russia.
In a joint statement, as per Indian Express report, the CTU-SKM condemned the US action as an “outright act of economic coercion” designed to interfere in India’s sovereign trade decisions, particularly its ties with Russia. They criticized what they called the “aggressive double standards” of US trade policy—promoting open access for American corporations while using punitive tariffs as tools of geopolitical pressure.
The coalition also voiced concern over what it termed the Indian government’s “weak-kneed response,” suggesting it reflects increasing alignment with “Western imperialist interests.”
The CTU-SKM urged the Indian government to categorically reject US tariff threats, uphold its sovereign right to engage in international trade freely—including with Russia—and to immediately reassess both the India-UK Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) and ongoing India-US trade negotiations, which they fear would deepen corporate exploitation.
They further demanded that no future trade agreements be finalized without full Parliamentary oversight and public consultation. “The British East India Company colonized India under the guise of trade. Today, deals like CETA and US trade agreements represent a modern form of corporate imperialism,” the statement declared. “On August 13, farmers and workers will mobilize to defend national sovereignty with one message: ‘We will not allow history to repeat itself. Quit India, again.’”
According to the statement, as per The Tribune, the US tariff announcement was met with “complete silence” from the Indian government, which the CTU-SKM interpreted as a willingness to surrender India’s strategic autonomy in favor of US interests.
The group warned that such concessions could lead to a trade agreement with the US that opens India’s agriculture and dairy markets to global giants like Cargill. This, they argue, would collapse domestic prices, devastate farmers, and threaten the nation’s food security. They also cautioned that such a deal would accelerate industrial decline and exacerbate unemployment.
Regarding the India-UK CETA, the CTU-SKM claimed the agreement would undermine India’s food systems, healthcare, and economic resilience. They allege it would enable British corporations to flood Indian markets with low-cost agricultural goods—including dairy, wheat, and meat—repeating the economic damage caused by the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, which they said caused rubber prices in Kerala to plummet by 70 per cent.
They also raised alarms about potential consequences for India’s healthcare sector, warning that CETA could open the door to British corporate control, increase privatization, and extend pharmaceutical monopolies—driving up the cost of medicines.
