Farmers’ leaders and cultivators from across India came together in New Delhi on Independence Day to express gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his bold and uncompromising stance in trade agreements, despite mounting foreign pressure. The gathering, held at Subrahmanyam Hall in Pusa Campus, was organised as a mark of appreciation for the central government’s farmer-centric approach.
Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, ICAR Director General Dr. M.L. Jat, and representatives from multiple states joined the event.
Farmer organisations across the country spoke in unison, thanking the Prime Minister for his farmer-friendly decision, which they hailed as historic. Leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, including Harpaal Singh Dagar, Dharmendra Malik, Dharmendra Choudhary, Virendra Lohan, Kirpa Singh Natthuwala, Kuldeep Singh Bajidpur, Baba Rajendra Singh Malik, Tarunesh Sharma, K.P. Singh Thainua, Acharya Ramgopal Walia, Vinod Anand, Rajkumar Balyan, Ashok Balyan, Vipichandra R. Patel, Rampal Jat, Krishnaveer Choudhary, Bhupendra Singh Mann, and K. Sai Reddy, joined in thanking the government for its firm stand.
Dharmendra Choudhary, National President of the Indian Farmer Chaudhary Charan Singh Organisation, said the Prime Minister’s announcement had reassured millions of cultivators, livestock rearers, and fishermen that their interests would not be compromised under any circumstances. He added that this vision of self-reliance in agriculture would strengthen rural India and inspire future generations.
Virendra Lohan of the Chhattisgarh Youth Progressive Farmers’ Association echoed similar sentiments, remarking that the government’s refusal to allow American corporations into India’s agriculture and dairy sectors had resonated deeply with farmers nationwide. “You have shown that the Indian farmer is not just a food provider but the soul of the nation, which no foreign power can dominate,” he said, while also commending Agriculture Minister Chouhan for his fight against spurious seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides.
Dharmendra Malik urged the government to remain steadfast in its stance on free trade policies, assuring that farmers would always stand shoulder to shoulder with the leadership.
Kirpa Singh Natthuwala from Punjab said the decision had lifted a huge burden from farmers’ hearts. He stressed that American pressure could have devastated agriculture, but the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister’s tough stand had instead filled farmers with renewed pride. “Whatever America says, it will not harm us,” he asserted.
Kuldeep Singh Bajidpur also extended his appreciation, noting that the government’s sustained measures for farmer welfare were already changing lives across Punjab and beyond. He expressed hope for further steps that would ensure farmers no longer had to depend on imports or foreign systems.
Addressing the gathering, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described farmers as the lifeline of the nation. “Grain is life, grain is divine. Farmers are not only providers but givers of life. For me, serving farmers is worship of God, and there is no greater worship than this,” he said.
Chouhan reiterated that a new law was being prepared to crack down on the menace of fake fertilisers and chemicals, and emphasised that various welfare schemes were being implemented with urgency. He recalled that just a day earlier, insurance payouts under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana had been digitally transferred to farmers in Rajasthan.
Highlighting Prime Minister Modi’s consistent “Nation First” resolve, Chouhan pointed to the cancellation of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack as an example of his leadership’s decisive approach. He underlined that the Prime Minister had always taken bold, nation-centric decisions, and that the country and its farmers would remain forever indebted to his vision and courage.
