Nationwide protests planned on August 13 by trade unions, farmers against US tariffs, India-UK CETA

In a unified stand against foreign economic pressure and domestic policy decisions, ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) have announced a nationwide protest scheduled for August 13, 2025.

The call to action comes in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose 25% tariffs on Indian goods and punitive taxes on India’s oil trade with Russia, as well as growing concerns over the newly signed India-UK Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).

In a joint statement released on Monday, CTUs and SKM condemned what they called "economic coercion" and demanded that the Indian government reject the tariff threats, assert its right to trade freely with all nations - including Russia - and reconsider its current trade path with the UK and the US.

The platform has urged participation from farmers, workers, students, and concerned citizens across the country, with demonstrations expected in the form of tractor and motorcycle rallies, public meetings, and other protest activities organized by allied groups.

"CTUs-SKM calls upon all farmers, workers, students, and patriotic citizens to join the nationwide day of resistance on August 13, 2025, with various mass actions like tractor and motorcycle rallies, protest demonstrations, public gatherings, and other forms of protest as decided by different platforms and partner organisations," the statement read.

The statement sharply criticised the Indian government for its "meek submission" to foreign pressures, particularly its silence on Trump's tariff threats and its handling of trade negotiations. It also warned against secret trade agreements and called for full parliamentary and public scrutiny of all future deals.

“The East India Company colonized India through trade. Today, CETA and US trade deals are the new instruments of corporate imperialism,” the CTUs-SKM alleged.

They raised alarms over the potential consequences of a future India-US trade agreement, especially in agriculture and dairy, suggesting such a deal could allow multinational corporations like Cargill to dominate Indian markets. This, they argued, would depress prices, harm small farmers, and threaten the nation’s food security.

“This capitulation paves the way for an even more exploitative India-US trade deal, which would grant American agri-business corporations like Cargill unrestricted access to India's dairy sector, agriculture, resulting in collapsing prices & destroying the farming community along with endangering the food security of the nation,” the statement said.

Additionally, they claimed that both the US threats and the India-UK CETA posed dangers to India’s economic self-reliance, healthcare system, and industrial base, potentially leading to widespread job losses and deindustrialisation.

The August 13 protest aims to “send a clear message” to both domestic and international stakeholders about India's unwillingness to compromise its sovereignty, according to the statement.