Indian farmers staged large protests across several states on Thursday, claiming the government moved ahead with the US-India interim trade framework without consulting them. They burned symbolic copies of the trade pact in their fields and at protest rallies.

Opposition parties, led by Congress lawmakers, also protested outside the parliament, holding placards with slogans such as “Trap Deal” and “US deal will destroy farmers.” They accused the government of surrendering farmers’ and domestic industries’ interests.

The agreement has revived memories of the 2020-21 protests that forced the government to repeal three farm laws aimed at deregulating agricultural markets. Farmers fear a repeat of the same scenario if imports of subsidized US farm products depress domestic prices.

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Trade Minister Piyush Goyal defended the deal, saying most farm products, including dairy, poultry, rice, wheat, and various fruits and vegetables, were excluded. He added that the agreement protects farmers’ interests and provides zero-tariff benefits to Indian textile and apparel exporters using US cotton.

Rakesh Tikait, a leading farm leader, said protests were held in Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, with farmers asserting their rights over land and vowing not to give in to market pressures.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha SKM, a coalition of over 100 farm groups, alongside some trade unions, called for nationwide demonstrations, warning that the deal could hurt rural incomes. Purushottam Sharma, a farmer leader in Delhi, said lower tariff barriers would damage India’s farmers and the poor.

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Workers in industrial towns also protested against the trade pact and the government’s labor policies, according to Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress. Despite protests, local media reported that economic activity continued largely as normal.