All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Thursday announced that it will hold mass demonstrations against US Vice President J. D. Vance’s upcoming visit to India.
India’s largest peasant movement has called on all its units across the country to hold mass demonstrations and burn effigies under the slogan “Vance Go Back! India Is Not For Sale” in villages and district headquarters on April 21, 2025—the day Vance is scheduled to arrive in India.
The body criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for capitulating “to the dictates of US President Donald Trump” and proceeding with plans to ease tariff and non-tariff barriers for US products, including agricultural goods.
They alleged that the Indian government was yielding to US pressure under President Donald Trump, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “pushing for India to open its agricultural market, despite India’s high tariffs.”
“Howard Lutnick, the US Commerce Secretary asserted that India should open its agriculture market and agriculture cannot be ‘off the table’ in the negotiations for the Bilateral Trade Agreement. The Bilateral Trade Agreement under discussion will be the death-knell of dairy farmers as the US Dairy exports to India will make a quantum jump if tariffs and market restrictions are lifted,” read the statement.
The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) warned that the proposed US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement would be a “death knell” for Indian dairy farmers, devastating the sector by flooding the market with US dairy exports, as tariffs and restrictions are expected to be lifted during Vance’s visit.
They also highlighted the irony of US demands to lower tariffs on genetically modified maize while Indian farmers protest for a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) to ensure fair crop prices: ”ironically this is while the peasantry in India are on the struggle path for remunerative Minimum Support Price with legally guaranteed procurement. Similarly, in the case of Maize, there is a push to remove India’s import prohibition on genetically modified maize as well on ethanol with expectation of windfall gains for the USA. Soybean, almond, pistachio, walnut, apple and horticultural crops are all up for negotiation at the behest of US based Commodity Cartels.”
Stating that withdrawing tariffs would be “insensitive,” they warned that reducing tariffs could flood the market with cheaper US cotton, further depressing prices and worsening the struggles of Indian farmers already grappling with unremunerative returns.
“The ongoing trade negotiation is a deliberate move to allow cheaper cotton, soybean, maize, apple, etc. from the USA to be dumped in India, literally swamping the market,” they observed.
The AIKS further criticized India, stating, “While countries like China, Canada, Mexico etc., made a resolute push-back against Trump’s tariffs and rallied to defend their economic interests, India has chosen to capitulate and surrender its national interests.”
“With more than 70 percent of exports to the USA did not blink an eye before hitting back, while India with nearly 18 percent exports to the USA is refusing to stand up against the strong-arm tactics of the USA,” they added.
Calling Vance’s visit an attempt to “pressure upon the State of India and the corporate led ruling classes to surrender the national interests to facilitate windfall profiteering to the Multinational companies,” the organization urged peasants and agricultural workers to unite and raise the slogan, “Vance Go Back!”
 on Thursday announced that it will hold mass demonstrations against US Vice President J. D. Vance’s upcoming visit to India.){kind=link}