Kejriwal Accuses Modi Govt of Betrayal Over Removal of Import Duty on US Cotton

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying farmers by removing the 11 percent import duty on cotton imported from the United States.

Kejriwal claimed the decision, taken “under pressure from Trump and America,” would severely impact the livelihood of Indian farmers. “PM Modi has taken some decisions behind our backs which are a huge betrayal of the farmers of the entire country. Recently, under the pressure of Trump and America, it has been decided that the cotton that comes to India from America, till now, there was an 11% duty on it,” he said.

According to Kejriwal, the government has announced that between August 19 and September 30, no duty will be levied on imported cotton. He argued that this temporary removal of duty, covering 40 days, creates a price disadvantage for domestic producers. “Now, the cotton that will come or has started coming from America, is roughly cheaper in India than the cotton of Indian farmers by an average of ₹15–20 per kg,” he stated.

The AAP leader said the move would make it difficult for Indian farmers to compete with cheaper imported cotton and demanded the immediate reinstatement of the duty.