Congress Launches Nationwide Protests Against India-US Trade Deal

The Indian National Congress launched a series of coordinated protests across India on February 24 and 25, 2026, targeting the interim India-US trade framework and state government policies. In Bhopal, President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi led the Kisan Mahapanchayat, a massive farmers' convention at Atal Path. Party leaders alleged that the trade deal allows cheaper imports of soybean, cotton, and maize, which has already contributed to a 30 percent drop in crop prices in Madhya Pradesh. Prior to the main event, MLAs led by Umang Singhar protested at the state Vidhan Sabha using masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump.

Simultaneously, the party targeted the BJP-led government in Haryana. On February 24, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rao Narender Singh led a march to the Chandigarh Vidhan Sabha, demanding a CBI probe into a ₹590 crore fraud at IDFC First Bank and criticizing the collapse of law and order. The agitation continued on February 25 with a gherao of the assembly to protest changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Protesters claimed the government was renaming and diluting the scheme to weaken social security for the poor and Dalits, while also cancelling 14 lakh BPL cards. These demonstrations led to the detention of several Congress leaders by the Chandigarh Police.