Trade deal with the US will be detrimental to farmers: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, which talks big about farmers' interests, has today left farmers to their fate and opened the way for one-sided trade worth $500 billion with the United States.

Participating in the general discussion on the budget 2026-27 on Tuesday, Mr. Yadav said that before and after the budget, there was a discussion across the country that a trade agreement was going to be signed with the United States. He asked the government to tell how many countries are left with which a 'Free Trade Agreement' has not been signed.

Expressing concern over the depreciation of the rupee, he said that it is not a 'deal' but a 'dhil' (compromise) with the United States. The former Chief Minister said that the government's words like 'Swadeshi' and 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliance) sound good, but their meaning has changed after the agreement with the United States.

If one-sided trade of $500 billion is opened, where will our self-reliance go? He termed the budget as 'directionless' and said that the BJP has nothing except hollow talks. Criticizing the government, the Samajwadi Party leader said that it has stopped talking about the poor and women.

He asked what is the per capita income of those who are taking free grains? Referring to Uttar Pradesh, he said that in the 'double engine' government, no such scheme has come that can connect people to the mainstream.

Talking about farmers' issues, he said that the government used to promise to double income, but today the farmer is struggling for the guarantee of MSP (Minimum Support Price). He ridiculed inflation, saying that if this continues, the farmer will not be able to send off his daughter even by putting iron on the plow.

He alleged that the government wants to benefit some selected people instead of farmers. Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, referring to Varanasi, said that a statue of Ahilya Bai Holkar was demolished with a bulldozer at Manikarnika Ghat and hundreds of temples were demolished.

He also dismissed the claims of cleaning the Ganges and Yamuna rivers as far from reality. Furthermore, he also strongly criticized the government for tampering with reservations in university appointments and increasing unemployment.

He said that until the backward classes, Dalits, tribals, and minorities get their rights, the dream of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) will remain incomplete. He said that many people have lost their lives due to drinking polluted water in Indore.

There is no city in the country where garbage heaps are not present. Mr. Yadav further said that China has set its sights on our land and market, so the government should take decisions with utmost seriousness.

The government has been talking about eradicating unemployment, but the situation remains the same. The government has introduced the 'VB Raghuram Ji' scheme in place of 'MNREGA', but what benefit will it bring to states like Uttar Pradesh?

How will this scheme run when 40 percent of its funds have been burdened on the states? He said that after the trade agreement with the United States, the government must clarify where our rupee will stand.

The BJP government is standing with industrialists; the labor laws it has brought are not in the interest of workers.