US seeking to wrest concessions that will harm our interests: Yechury on Trump's visit

Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday expressed reservations over the "deals" that India may sign with the US, saying that the US is seeking concessions from India which will harm our economy.

"Even before the US President embarked on his journey to India, he has announced that he is going to get a 'very big deal' from India. What is this big deal that they are going to get from us?" Yechury said while speaking with ANI.

"The US companies want access to the Indian agricultural market. They would sell their highly subsidized agricultural produce here which will mean mega bucks for them. But our farmers won't be able to compete with them. Our agricultural sector is already in distress and it will be devasted," the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader said.

Taking a dig at the BJP government, Yechury said that the "cow protectors" are now mortgaging our dairy economy as the US wants to "dump their dairy products on us".

He also pointed out that the US has been seeking the scrapping of India's drug patent laws that allow pedigreed drugs to be produced and sold at cheaper price in India to make it affordable to the masses.

Yechury said that if multi-national corporations sell their drugs in India, and the licensing and protection is stopped, "it will be an impossible cost for people who actually need medicine".

He says that the USA and Trump are trying to emerge as the world's policeman. "Unfortunately our government is succumbing to these pressures," he added.

"The misery of the people is compounding and at that time mortgaging India's economy to US interests, there cannot be something more anti-Indian people than this," he said.

Commenting on the boycott of 'Namaste Trump' event by activists, he said, "It is good that people are protesting against the tamasha that is going to take place tomorrow.