By Dr. Arun Mitra
When the Seed Bill was introduced, followed by the Electricity Bill, and the subsequent budget made no reference to the agricultural sector, it had already become apparent what kind of India–US trade agreement was being shaped. Although the Government of India has not yet disclosed the full details of the agreement, statements by the US President and the US Secretary of Agriculture have made the situation largely clear. Broadly speaking, the United States will now impose an 18 percent tariff on goods imported from India, while India, in contrast, will levy zero tariff on goods imported from the US. This means American products will be sold cheaply in India, benefiting US industrialists and agribusiness corporations, while Indian producers will gain little in return.
Nearly half of India’s population depends on agriculture. With agricultural products from the United States entering the Indian market at low prices, the agrarian crisis is bound to deepen further. Earlier, farmers launched massive protests at the borders of Delhi against growing corporate intrusion into agriculture, forcing the government to withdraw three anti-agriculture laws—though it later retreated from addressing the farmers’ genuine demands.
Another serious dimension of this agreement is that India has reportedly accepted a restriction under which it will no longer purchase oil from Russia or Iran and will instead source its oil almost entirely from the United States. This oil will not be at discounted price as from Russia thus putting burden on our economy.
An analysis of the geopolitical implications reveals a growing risk of India being reduced to a new form of dependency—or virtual colony—of the United States in the coming years. This should not come as a surprise, as the ideological predecessors of the present ruling forces, along with the RSS, collaborated with British colonial rulers, opposed the freedom movement, and now appear aligned with US imperial interests. Until recently, Donald Trump was publicly criticised, with symbolic protests against him; today, the BJP celebrates and showers the Prime Minister with congratulations. Celebrations after victory are natural, but celebrating after strategic surrender reflects nothing more than political propaganda.
The United States has openly articulated its intention to draw India into its strategic framework in the Indo-Pacific region. Globally, the US, Russia, and China remain the three dominant powers shaping geopolitical realities. India risks being reduced to a mere consumer market while serving as a junior partner in America’s so-called “India-Pacific” strategy.
India recently participated in the BRICS summit and currently holds the BRICS presidency. By lowering itself into the role of a facilitator of US interests, it is easy to foresee the erosion of India’s credibility within this important multilateral grouping.
In today’s multipolar world, such submission to an imperial power undermines the foreign policy tradition that emerged after independence—one rooted in solidarity with newly independent and developing nations, mutual cooperation, and shared progress.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered unwarranted praise to Donald Trump for his so-called efforts toward world peace. The tone of this praise suggested that Trump alone was the saviour of global peace. This posture also helps explain why the Modi government lightly treated the reported kidnapping incident involving Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and why it continues to stand alongside Netanyahu, responsible for the killing of over 60000 Palestinians which included nearly 20000 children.
It is deeply troubling that during “Operation Sindoor” it was the US President who announced the cessation of hostilities, and now once again it is the US President who has revealed the trade agreement and even outlined its key features. The Prime Minister owes the nation clear and transparent explanations on all these matters.
Several other serious issues also appear connected to the haste with which this agreement was finalised. The ongoing case against Adani in the United States and the mention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri’s name in the Epstein files might have been pressing points. These concerns must be addressed openly to preserve the dignity of the Prime Minister’s office, maintain India’s international credibility, and safeguard national honour.
India should move forward in unity with developing countries—most of them in the Global South—rather than kneeling before imperial powers. India is a vast nation endowed with abundant natural resources and immense human and intellectual potential. What is needed today is political will, which has steadily eroded under the present government.
There is also a strong possibility that India may join the US-led initiative to form a block of 50 countries aimed at countering China in the field of critical and strategic rare Earth elements. Prime Minister Modi’s out right praise for President Trump as global peace broker, makes one think that the Indian government may become part of the “Board of Peace” established by Donald Trump. (IPA Service)
