 The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, will visit India from 24th to 25th of February 2020. India has nothing to gain and much to lose from this visit and therefore a broad coalition of democratic and progressive groups from across the country are opposing and resisting Trump's visit. Let's take a look at 10 reasons why this visit is being opposed. 1. For the sake of humanity. Trump has been at the forefront of a global resurgence of the right wing that has thrived on racism, attacks on minorities and ethnic and religious chauvinism. These forces, many of which are in power across the world such as in the United Kingdom, India, Philippines, Brazil and Turkey, have established close links with each other. These regimes have championed building walls, segregating minorities, targeting migrants and attacking gender rights. They have unleashed and encouraged a way of right-wing attacks in the respective countries, targeting the most vulnerable sections of society. 2. For the people of Palestine, Cuba, Iran and Venezuela. The Trump regime has intensified the U.S. war against the people of Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. As part of U.S. support for the coup attempt in Venezuela, the Trump administration has imposed a series of brutal sanctions against the country. Research conducted in 2019 indicates that U.S. sanctions may have caused over 40,000 deaths in Venezuela between 2017 and 2018. As for Cuba, the invocation of the Hems-Burton Act by the Trump administration marks the latest chapter in the decades-long assault on the lives and livelihoods of the common people there. In Iran, wave after wave of crippling sanctions have led to a rise in unemployment and curtailed growth. Among the worst targets of the Trump regime's policies have been the people of Palestine. Under Trump, the U.S. has not only supported Israel's brutal repression and occupation of Palestine, but also its illegal settlements and plundering of Palestinian land and properties. 3. Attack on Women's Rights The Trump administration has dismantled funding to various organizations that work on the issue of sexual and reproductive care, including access to abortions. As a result of this, in the U.S., access to these health services is shrinking and poor women, women of color and transgender people are especially being deprived of the basic human right of health care. 4. Adverse Impacts on Indian Agriculture India is a large-target market for U.S. agribusiness companies for the sale of products such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, apples, chickpeas, wheat, soybean, maize and peanuts. Huge budgetary allocations and subsidies provided by the U.S. government allow its agribusiness corporations to distort prices and outcompete local farmers in developing countries. So far, India has used tariffs as a policy tool to protect its farmers from such an import glut. Trump is demanding that India remove these tariffs. He is also targeting India's dairy and poultry sector that together sustain the livelihoods of over 100 million households. 5. Undermining Access to Health Care India is a critical producer of affordable generic medicines. India's patent law safeguards play a key role in enabling its generic manufacturers to compete and produce medicines at prices that are affordable for all. During Trump's visit, India will once again face pressure to give into demands that protect the interests of U.S. pharmaceutical corporations. The U.S. has also targeted India's progressive policy on price controls on medical devices such as cardiac stents and knee implants. Exceeding to this demand will allow U.S. multinationals to fix high prices that would compromise access. 6. U.S. Corporate Agenda on E-Commerce There is immense pressure from the U.S. on developing countries to sign onto an international digital trade regime at the World Trade Organization. Trump has been pushing India to allow unbridled access to U.S. big tech corporations which will enable the U.S. to exercise greater power over digital technology and the Indian economy. Such an agreement would be disastrous for the Indian economy for decades to come and would push farmers, traders and workers into further misery. 7. Subverting India and Developing Countries at the WTO The U.S. has targeted India at the WTO on multiple counts. It has challenged India's policies on public stockholding and minimum support prices. These policies are critical to implement the National Food Security Act to ensure that the poor have access to food and farmers receive adequate prices. Under Trump, the U.S. is leading the charge to ensure that India and other developing countries are no longer classified as developing countries in the WTO. This will rob these countries of provisions such as special and differential treatment that allow for flexible commitments and longer implementation periods, keeping in mind their developmental status. 8. Exasperating the Climate Crisis As we face the dangers of climate crisis, Trump has initiated the formal process of withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is despite the fact that the U.S. is the world's biggest historical emitter of greenhouse gases. Instead of supporting developing countries like India, Trump is blaming them for emissions. 9. Offensive on Manufacturing and Investment Policies In 2018, the Trump administration applied unilateral tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from several developing countries including India. Reports indicate that India's exports of steel products fell by 46% in 12 months as a result of this U.S. action. The U.S. has also targeted India's investment limits in a range of sectors such as insurance and banking where foreign ownership is capped at 49% and 74% respectively. Trump also wants a removal of foreign investment limits in the media and multi-brand retail sector. Removal of all these industrial policy tools will be a key target of the U.S. delegation. 10. Resist an Imperialist Agenda Under Trump, U.S. imperialist aggression has intensified bringing the world closer to a nuclear holocaust. The U.S. has been drawn from the Intermediate-Ranged Nuclear Forces Treaty, one of the pillars of global disarmament. The U.S. has brought West Asia to the brink of catastrophic war by withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal and assassinating Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. It continues to blatantly support Israeli occupation of Palestine and it is the largest weapon supplier to Saudi Arabia whose war on Yemen has led to one of the worst humanitarian crisis of the century. In Southeast and East Asia, the U.S. has been promoting a provocative encirclement of China alongside its trade and technological wars. In Latin America, it has supported and endorsed coups and coup attempts in Bolivia, Honduras and Venezuela. So for all of these reasons and more, the people of India are hitting the streets on February 24 to oppose Trump's visit. See you there.