New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) CPI(ML) Liberation MP Raja Ram Singh on Saturday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to call a special sitting of the House to discuss the implications of the Trump administration's tariff threats on Indian agriculture.

In a letter to Birla, the MP from Karakat in Bihar said the tariff threats had serious implications for India and its agricultural sector.

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"The Trump administration's threats to impose higher tariffs on Indian exports will directly impact Indian agriculture and destroy the livelihoods of our farmers. Unfortunately, rather than opposing these measures, the Narendra Modi-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government is bowing down to these unjust tariff threats by the US administration," Singh said.

If highly subsidised US agricultural produce floods the Indian markets, it will cripple Indian farmers' ability to sell their produce, thus dealing a severe blow to the country's agriculture sector, he added.

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Singh urged Birla to convene a special sitting of the Lok Sabha to discuss the impact of these tariffs on Indian agriculture and farmers.

"It is important for Parliament to discuss this issue with inputs from various parties as this concerns the livelihood question of crores of farmers and their families," he said.

Parliament sessions are called by the president, based on the recommendation of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.

The US is pushing India to negotiate a large and grand bilateral trade agreement while seeking to open the agriculture sector for American businesses.

India is unlikely to include dairy and agriculture in the trade negotiations due to the sectors' political sensitivity, according to experts.

US agri exports to India were pegged at USD 1.6 billion in 2024.

The country's exports to India include almonds (in shell, valued at USD 868 million); pistachios (USD 121 million), apples (USD 21 million) and ethanol or ethyl alcohol (USD 266 million).

In a related development, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) demanded that the government withdraw from trade negotiations with the US and said no unequal agreements should be made in agriculture, dairy or fishing in the name of free trade.

"The Narendra Modi-led BJP government is fast-tracking negotiations for conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs) with the European Union, New Zealand and other countries as well as mega FTAs like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity involving 14 countries," the AIKS said in a statement.

Apart from agriculture, MSMEs across sectors, including generic pharmaceutical and auto parts manufacturing, will also be impacted and millions of workers across these sectors may be adversely hit, it added.

"The Vice-President of the US, JD Vance, and the United States trade representative are slated to visit India in April. It is the need for all Indians, cutting across political lines, to unite and give a call like 'Simon, go back'," it further said in the statement.

"'Vance, go back! India is not for sale!' AIKS calls upon all its units to organise broad-based protests against the BJP-led NDA government's total capitulation before US imperialism," it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)