Farmers, Merchants Force Modi’s Hand on Trade Pact

In an indication of how Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata government are hostage to its dairy farmers and small merchants, India has stormed out of the world’s largest trade agreement, the 16-country Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

India’s exit, which deprives other member states of access to a market of 1.3 billion consumers, isn’t as …