New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayams-evak Sangh (RSS) affiliate, Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), on Thursday announced nationwide protests against the Regional Comprehen-sive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a proposed free trade agreement between the ten ASEAN member-states (Brunei, Cambodia, Ind-onesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and their six trade partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand).
The SJM also asked other affiliates and like-minded organisations and individuals to join the protests.
SJM national co-convener Ashwini Mahajan said, “The nation is currently facing a crisis in both manufacturing and agriculture which is resulting in job loss in the country. Though the crisis in manufacturing is due to the lack of a comprehensive industrial policy since 1991, the FTAs India has signed in the last decade play a major role by allowing cheap imports and hollowing out of Indian manufacturing... Further, the WITS (World Integrated Trade Solutions — World Bank) Comtrade data shows the deteriorating trend in the trade deficit… the RCEP will further deteriorate the situation.”
