Overview

• The Secular Progressive Alliance scheduled a September 2 demonstration in Tiruppur to protest the Union government's handling of the tariff shock.
• The United States has imposed a 50% duty on Indian knitwear, which the alliance says threatens nearly Rs 3,000 crore of exports from the cluster.
• Alliance leaders warn of job losses for lakhs of workers, with Chief Minister M. K. Stalin earlier flagging risk to nearly 30 lakh in letters to the Prime Minister on August 16 and August 28.
• The bloc says no relief has been announced by the Centre and urges tax concessions, input-duty waivers, loan support, higher export rebates, and negotiations with Washington.
• Signatories include DMK, TNCC, CPM, CPI, MDMK, IUML, VCK, MNM, KMDK, TVK, MMK, and DK, signaling a coordinated state-level push.