The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of various farmers’ organizations, has decided to meet the chief ministers and opposition leaders of all states demanding that the bilateral trade agreement between India and the United States must be scrapped. SKM launched the ‘Strong States for a Strong India’ campaign to protect federal rights and restore the taxing power of states by amending the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Thursday (February 26, 2026), SKM leaders said they would submit a memorandum to chief ministers and opposition leaders to protect farmers’ interests by holding special sessions of state assemblies and passing resolutions asking the Union government to refrain from signing the “anti-national” trade deal.
“We reiterate our demand for the removal of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for betraying farmers’ interest. We will ask the CMs to ask the Union government to withdraw the letter from the Union Finance Ministry asking states to end wheat and paddy bonuses,” the leaders added. Other demands in the memorandum include the repeal of the VB-GRAMG Act of 2025 and the renewal of the MGNREG Act, the repeal of four labor codes and the adoption of measures to address the decline in states’ fiscal autonomy.
“According to the Economic Survey 2025-2026 tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on January 29, 2026, the number of revenue surplus states has come down significantly from 19 in FY 2018-2019 to 11 in FY 2025-26,” the memo added, noting that in India the initiative1041 share of the manufacturing sector to 25 % by 2022, the percentage of manufacturing value added to GDP has fallen from over 16% in 2014 to less than 13% in 2024-25.
“Both the above unequivocal facts are more than enough to expose the salvo of propaganda by the corporate media and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government regarding Viksit Bharat 2047, which is nothing but colorful false advertising and enough to help any sensible citizen to open his eyes and free himself from the illusion of the current corporate-owned development.
Published – 26 Feb 2026 21:15 IST
