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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat calls for Swadeshi amid trade tensions with US
Speaking at a three-day lecture series in Delhi, Bhagwat said, “Swadeshi is important, why buy from outside what is available at home.”
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday underscored the need for promoting Swadeshi (indigenously produced goods) and self-reliance and said the country's trade relations should be on its own terms, not under duress, with the comments coming on a day the additional tariffs imposed on Indian exports by the US kicked in.
Speaking on the second day of the three-day lecture series, New Horizons, in the Capital, Bhagwat said, "Swadeshi is important, why buy from outside what is available at home. And self-reliance is the foundation of everything. In every aspect, our nation should be self-reliant, and this effort should begin at home...it does not mean not continuing with trade and imports.…but our international policies and trade should be on our own terms not under any duress."
Although the Sangh, which is the ideological fount of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has always batted for Swadeshi and self-reliance, Bhagwat's comment is significant as it comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch for 'Make in India' and ramping up domestic production and consumption in the wake of the US imposing high tariffs and raising import duties on India to 50%.
Bhagwat threw his weight behind the PM's sentiment and said, Indians should follow their own "Basha, Bhusha and Braman (language, attire and domestic tourism)".
He urged citizens to encourage buying locally produced goods. "If something belongs to your state, buy it from there. Why buy it from outside? Buy goods from the place you belong to, because it supports the livelihoods of many people," he said.
A day after he asserted that the Hindu Rashtra is egalitarian and not against any faith or religion, Bhagwat sought to define Dharma. "Dharma is the religion on the top of religion that accepts diversity. It is balanced. It does not allow any extremism, it is called the middle way. This conduct needs to be followed and shared with the world," he said.
