Mumbai: The Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan, an umbrella organisation of farmers, staged a protest by throwing milk packets inside the gate of Mantralaya on Monday. The protest was led by former MP Raju Shetti.
The farmers protested against the Narendra Modi government over the terms of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which happens to be a free trade deal among 16 nations.
The Association of South East Asians Nation (ASEAN) summit started on Monday inn Bangkok, where India was expected to take an official stand on the RCEP agreement, a mega trade summit involving 16 nations.
Opposition leaders, along with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) linked Swadeshi Jagran Manch, protested against the the free trade deal, citing reasons that it would be death knell for India’s manufacturing and production sectors. During the protest, MP Raju Shetty and other protesters were arrested by the Marine Drive police.
However, The Government of India later refrained from joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) over concerns that it would lead to a potential flood of Chinese imports in the country.
“RCEP agreement doesn’t reflect its original intent. The outcome was not fair or balanced as it would hurt the sentiments of the farmers,” said PM Modi at the summit.
