India has decided not to join the proposed Free Trade Agreement RCEP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership of ASEAN countries.

The Government of India says that it had concerns on some issues about joining the RCEP, which has been taken in the interest of the country due to lack of clarity.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called it a decision on 'the voice of your soul', while the Congress is presenting it as its victory.

On Monday, when Narendra Modi attended the RCEP conference in Bangkok, all eyes were on whether he would involve India in this agreement or not.

It was believed that India would sign this trade agreement and many farmers and business organizations were protesting about this.

But in the evening after the RCEP conference, the Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Vijay Thakur Singh said that India has decided not to join the RCEP keeping in mind the national interest due to conditions not being favorable.

He said that it was not possible to get involved because of India's issues and concerns regarding RCEP.

He also read the statement given by Narendra Modi at the conference, in which he spoke about taking this decision due to Mahatma Gandhi's Jantar and his conscience.

Vijay Thakur Singh said, "Commenting on this subject, the Prime Minister said that he has taken this decision by thinking about the impact on Indians and especially the weaker sections of society and their livelihood. Mahatma Gandhi's advice to the Prime Minister Thought of, in which he said that remember the face of the weakest and poorest person and think that the steps you are going to take, those To him will be of any use or not.''

"India participated in the discussions of RCEP and negotiated strongly with its interests. Under the current circumstances we feel that it is the right decision for India not to enter into an agreement. We will do business, investment with the region And will continue to strengthen people's relationships.''

RCEP is a trade agreement, which makes it easier for its member countries to do business with each other.

Under this agreement, member countries either do not have to pay tax on import-export or they have to pay very little.

In addition to 10 ASEAN countries, RCEP included India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Now India will stay away from it.

RCEP has been raising concerns in India for a long time. Farmers and merchant organizations were opposing this saying that if India joined it, the already troubled farmers and small traders would be devastated.

Swaraj Party leader Yogendra Yadav, who is associated with the All India Kisan Sangharsh Samman Samiti, termed India's decision to stay out of the RCEP as important and said that the Prime Minister has respected the public opinion.

Yogendra Yadav said, "A very big and serious decision. And a very good decision. The Government of India and the Prime Minister should be congratulated for this."

"Joining the RCEP could have become a matter of great crisis for India's farmers, for India's small traders."

"This could have resulted in worse consequences later. All kinds of questions were being raised about it. The government went ahead despite all these questions. It seemed that he would go and sign it. But finally honoring public opinion, the Prime Minister decided not to do so. Overall, the decision was made in the national interest.

Yogendra Yadav said that all the farmer organizations of the country had opposed this agreement in one voice. Farmers' organizations associated with BJP and RSS were also among those protesting.

He says, "Even Amul Dairy, considered close to the government, had opposed it. The BJP's own ministers had criticized it vocally. Many state governments had questioned it. A few days ago The Congress had opposed this by changing its policy and taking Utern. All these things will be in the Prime Minister's mind somewhere and he will realize that by coming back this agreement of the country To bring the variation will be no easy task.''

Yogendra Yadav says that this agreement would have disastrous consequences on two-three classes. According to him, if India had reached this agreement, the entire milk industry of India would have come to a standstill due to the import of milk powder from New Zealand.

Talking of farmers and agriculture, the prices of coconut, pepper, rubber, wheat and oilseeds were in danger of falling after this agreement. The business of small traders was in danger of collapsing.

He says, "The Prime Minister must have felt that there has been a slowdown in India's economy on one side, the country has not yet emerged due to the demonetisation. Overall the condition of the country's economy is bad and if there is another setback So the government will be held responsible for it, in such a situation it will be very difficult for the government to stand before the people. All these things must have been in the mind of the Prime Minister.''

The high-level advisory group of the central government, giving its opinion about RCEP, had said that India should join it.

This group said that if India stays outside RCEP, then it will be out of a big regional market.

On the other hand, the producers and farmers of India were concerned that India's experience of free trade agreements has not been good before and the countries with which India will join RCEP, India imports more and exports less.

At the same time China is more supportive of RCEP, with which India's trade deficit is already high. In such a situation, RCEP can worsen India's position.

Crisil economist Sunil Sinha told the BBC that RCEP was being discussed for a long time, but India decided to stay away from it, seeing that it could lead to less, more damage.

Sunil Sinha said, "The most important thing in such agreements is what is the benefit of such cooperation for any country. But RCEP was opposed in the country and it was being said that it was for India Is not much beneficial.''

"I think that when this was discussed, the Indian authorities felt that the more benefit India would get, the more damage it would do." For this reason India would have refused to move forward on this agreement. ''

Sunil Sinha says that as far as China is concerned, it is already an economically prosperous country and it has more reach in East-Asian countries than India.

He said, "Whenever such business negotiations take place, China will be in a position of advantage here, whereas India does not have that advantage."

"We don't have that kind of business relationship with East-Asian countries. India is trying to be part of that regional cooperation, while China has already reached there.''

Apart from the economic aspect, politics has also started in this matter. While the Bharatiya Janata Party is describing it as a visionary decision of the Prime Minister, the Congress is promoting it as its victory.

Terming the Bharatiya Janata Party's acting national president Jagat Prakash Nadda not joining the RCEP, he congratulated the Prime Minister for not bowing to global pressure like earlier Congress-led governments.

But Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, who is already opposing joining the RCEP, has tweeted that it is a victory for those fighting to protect the national interest. He has credited the opposition of Congress and Rahul Gandhi for India's move not to join the RCEP.

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