NEW DELHI: Resuming his aggression against the India-US trade deal, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked five “simple questions” that he said PM Narendra Modi must answer since “farmers deserve clarity” if “we are giving another country a long-term grip on India’s agricultural system”.Rahul asked if provisions in the interim trade deal, as mentioned in the joint statement, suggests that India will be importing pulses and grains that are not explicitly mentioned in the statement, and if India will be opening the hitherto shut door through which the US can in future put more and more items on the table for import by India. He asked what the fate will be of soya farmers in MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and other states of the country if India imports GM soya oil from the US, and if farmers will survive “another price shock”.He asked the PM to clarify what comprises “additional products” mentioned in the statement for reduction or elimination of tariffs. “Does it signal pressure to open up pulses and other sensitive crops to US imports over time?” the Congress MP asked. Referring to the proposed import of DDG, Rahul asked if feeding Indian cattle the distillers grain made of GM American corn will not “effectively integrate our dairy chain with the US agricultural system”.Rahul also urged the PM to clarify if removing “non tariff barriers” implies that India will be pushed to dilute its stand against GM crops, weaken procurement, or undermine MSP and bonuses in the future.
