Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a direct message to US President Donald Trump amid the rising tariff threats, saying that he would not be negotiation any deal that may work against the country’s farmers.

On the occasion of 79th Independence Day, the Indian leader addressed the nation in an expansive speech dealing with a wide array of issues. One such matter of concern remained the security of farmers, fishermen and cattlegrowers against any potential policy that might hurt their wellbeing in the economy. Positioning them as his priority, Modi stood by the country’s farmers despite the ongoing trade row with Trump and America. (WATCH LIVE: Narendra Modi’s speech at Red Fort)

Modi ‘stands like a wall’: Indian PM’s message to Trump amid trade row

Modi approached the issue subtly, while aligning with his “atma-nirbhar” (self-sufficient) and ‘Made in India‘ approach for the country at large. “It was a challenge to ensure food for all post-independence, but our farmers made us self-sufficient,” said the Indian PM, while promising to stand “like a wall” and not comprise on the interests of farmers in an apparent dig at Trump’s seemingly endless tariff threats.

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Narendra Modi’s disseminated his comments in Hindi at the Red Fort early Friday morning, hitting it out against the rampant “economic selfishness” in the global scenario. The prime minister’s response comes shortly after the United States exerted pressure on India for buying Russian oil, dealing the South Asian nation with an addition secondary tariff of 25%, bringing the number as high as 50%.

India-US dairy imports: A major red flag in trade row

Meanwhile, India has had some reservations about opening up the agricultural and dairy sectors for the US. India is not keen on American dairy imports due to cultural and religious concerns tied to what is being called “non-veg” milk. The term in contention refers to cows being fed animal-based product in the US.

“Cows are still allowed to eat feed that can include parts of pigs, fish, chicken, horses, even cats or dogs… And cattle can continue to consume pig and horse blood for protein, as well as tallow, a hard fat from rendered cattle parts, as a fattening source,” according to Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s 2004 report.

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Opening up the country to American imports of dairy will inevitably flood the market with cheaper options, ultimately threatening domestic prices and farmers’ stability and security in the economic competition.

“The government needs to make sure we’re not hit by cheap imports from other countries. If that happens, the whole industry will suffer, and so will farmers like us,” Mahesh Sakunde, a farmer from Maharashtra told Reuters.