Bhubaneswar: The joint platform of Central Trade Unions, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (United Farmers’ Front), and the Land Rights Movement organised a protest rally Wednesday from Master Canteen to Lower PMG here under the banner ‘Defend National Sovereignty – Stop Corporate Loot,’ condemning Trump’s aggressive tariff policy.
The protesters carried placards and banners and raised slogans to voice their demands. Leaders from various workers’ and farmers’ unions, including Ramchandra Khuntia, Suresh Chandra Panigrahy, Bijay Kumar Jena, Dushmant Kumar Das, Jayasen Meher, Mahendra Parida, Jyoti Ranjan Mohapatra, and others, also participated in the demonstration. Ten central trade unions and allied groups condemned Trump’s tariff threat, calling it an attempt to pressure India while protecting US corporate interests. They welcomed the Centre’s recent stance against the move but urged firm action to safeguard agriculture, dairy, industry, and jobs. Protesters warned that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) could threaten food security, healthcare, and economic self-reliance by allowing cheap British farm imports and paving the way for hospital privatisation and higher medicine costs.
The rally also criticised the government’s pro-corporate policies, citing the four labour codes, absence of a legal MSP guarantee, and privatisation of public enterprises. A memorandum was submitted to the Prime Minister and Governor outlining demands to reject Trump’s tariffs, withdraw CETA, halt India–US trade talks, and ensure public and parliamentary scrutiny of all trade agreements.
