CTUs-SKM, a platform of ten Central Trade Unions and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, has announced a nationwide protest on August 13 against US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and the India-UK Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).
In a statement, CTUs-SKM condemned Trump’s threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on India and punitive taxes related to the oil trade deal with Russia. The platform called on farmers, workers, students, and citizens to participate in the day of resistance through tractor and motorcycle rallies, protest demonstrations, and public gatherings.
The group demanded that India reject Trump’s tariff threats and uphold its sovereign right to trade with all countries, including Russia. It also called for an immediate review and modification of the India-UK CETA.
CTUs-SKM emphasised the need to stop all negotiations for a US-India trade deal to prevent further corporate exploitation. They insisted that no secret trade agreements be made and that all future deals undergo full parliamentary scrutiny and public consultation.
The statement compared the East India Company’s colonisation of India through trade to the current CETA and US trade deals, describing them as tools of corporate imperialism. On August 13, farmers and workers will protest to defend sovereignty and freedom, opposing economic coercion aimed at controlling India’s trade relations, including with Russia.
The platform criticised US trade policies for demanding open markets for American corporations while using tariffs to pressure sovereign nations. It expressed concern over the Indian government’s submission to these threats, seeing it as growing subservience to western imperialist interests.
CTUs-SKM said the government’s silence on these issues signals a willingness to compromise India’s strategic autonomy in favour of the USA. They warned this could lead to an exploitative India-US trade deal, giving American agri-business firms unrestricted access to India’s dairy and agriculture sectors, which could collapse prices, harm farmers, and threaten food security.
The group also pointed out that such deals could cause deindustrialisation and rising unemployment in India. They described the India-UK CETA as a direct attack on India’s food security, healthcare, and economic self-reliance.
