The collapse of cotton trade in Bombay in the late 1860s along with the terrible famine of 1866 that devastated Orissa (now Odisha) deeply pained India’s first economist Dadabhai Naoroji. As a result, for the first time, he demanded Swaraj (independence) for our country in the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in 1906. Dadabhai traced the collapse of cotton trade to massive influx of cotton to India from the US following the end of American civil war in 1864 and he could understand that the British policies resulted in adversely affecting India when American cotton was allowed to enter Indian market without any check. All these facts have been detailed in the biography of Dadabhai titled “Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism” authored by Dinyar Patel.The book “Poverty and Un-British Rule” authored by Dadabhai traced the drain of wealth of India to the policies of colonial rulers who, among others, made India a victim of unfair trade policies which put our country at a highly disadvantaged position vis-à-vis capitalist countries of that era.On the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary year of Dadabhai Naoroji, it is salutary to recall his idea of Swaraj to save India from the unfair trade practices of the colonial era.Piyush Goyal’s announcement on cotton importsDadabhai’s deep analysis of the fall in cotton trade in Bombay during late 1860s assumes enormous relevance in the context of the fears of farmers that their earnings from cotton cultivation would fatally decline after the import of raw cotton from the US following the Modi regime’s trade deal with the country. The farmers expressed that fear after Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal’s statement that if India purchases raw cotton from the United States, processes it domestically, makes garments and exports the finished products back to the U.S., then the country can avail itself of a zero reciprocal tariff, similar to a facility reportedly extended to Bangladesh”.Fears among farmersThe fear among farmers has been deeply intensified following the joint statement issued by the Modi regime and US President Donald Trump’s administration as prelude to a trade deal between India and USA.The spectre of grave crisis is haunting India following that joint statement and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that the Modi regime has compromised India’s sovereignty to engage in exports and imports with America and other countries, sounds persuasive. That impending crisis was articulated by a group of cotton farmers across the country when they protested against Union minister Goyal’s aforesaid statement welcoming American cotton to the Indian market.The All-India Kisan Sabha noted with anxiety that “Import of U.S. raw cotton will further reduce the already low domestic price, and the crisis-ridden cotton fields will witness intensifying indebtedness as well as greater peasant suicides.” “If Indian farmers,” it remarked, “are exposed to unrestricted global competition, the likely outcome would be further distress, pushing already crisis-ridden cotton farmers towards abandoning agriculture altogether.”The existential crises apprehended by cotton farmers following the statement of Piyush Goyal regarding influx of US cotton to Indian market is evocative of the analysis by Dadabhai – India’s first economist – of collapse of cotton trade in Bombay after cotton supplies to India surged following the end of American civil war in 1864.Remarks of Rahul GandhiRahul Gandhi remarked that “If we import American cotton, our own farmers will be ruined. If we don’t import it, our textile industry will lag behind and get destroyed.” Noting that the textile industry and cotton farming are the backbone of livelihood in India and crores of people’s daily bread depend on these very sectors he said, “”A visionary government that thinks in the national interest would have negotiated a deal that protects and ensures the prosperity of both cotton farmers and textile exporters.”Dictations in Trump’s executive orderIt is indeed tragic that the Modi regime’s steps for scripting a trade deal with the USA do not inspire confidence to protect national interest. It is demonstrated by its lack of protest or rejection of President Donald Trump’s claim in his Executive Order of February 6, 2026 that “India has taken significant steps to ….. align sufficiently with the United States on national security, foreign policy, and economic matters.”The Order also states that “Specifically, India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, has represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the United States, and has recently committed to a framework with the United States to expand defense cooperation over the next 10 years.” It also provides that the US would monitor if India imported Russian oil directly or indirectly.Such claims of Trump and Modi’s regime not refuting it imperils Swaraj and our sovereignty in conducting our trade and commerce based on national interest.Gandhi’s vision on importsAs stated earlier Dadabhai conjured up such an idea of Swaraj in 1906. Fifteen years later on August 14, 1921, Mahatma Gandhi authored a piece “Definitions of Swaraj” in Navajivan. He wrote, “Swaraj, therefore, means the complete control by the people of the country’s imports and exports, of its army and its law courts”.Tragically, as stated above, India’s exports and imports are now being dictated and the idea of Swaraj envisioned by Dadabhai and the Mahatma must be upheld to safeguard our independence, sovereignty, unity and integrity.S.N. Sahu served as Officer on Special Duty to President of India K R Narayanan.