Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated his call for promoting indigenous goods, urging Indian businesses to adopt “swadeshi” as a guiding principle during the upcoming festive season. Speaking at an event in Ahmedabad, he said, “Businessmen should keep a big board outside their establishments, saying they sell ‘swadeshi’ goods.”
The Prime Minister highlighted that the shopping season coinciding with Navratri, Vijay Dashami, Dhanteras, and Deepawali should become not only a celebration of culture but also of self-reliance. “Therefore, I want to reiterate my request to you once again that we must adopt a mantra in our lives: whatever we buy will be ‘Made in India’; it will be indigenous,” he said.
He further added, “I also encourage businesses to refrain from selling items sourced from other countries. These small yet impactful steps can play a significant role in driving our nation’s progress and prosperity.” Modi encouraged sellers to display boards proudly declaring, “Mere yahaan swadeshi bikta hai (I sell swadeshi).”
‘Swadeshi’ Drive Tied to Global Trade Tensions
Modi’s remarks come as India faces heightened trade tensions with the United States over tariff measures. The renewed push for ‘swadeshi’ was made less than a week before an additional 25% US tariff comes into effect, over and above an already-imposed 25%, which Washington has described as a penalty for India’s oil purchases from Russia despite its war in Ukraine.
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The Prime Minister had recently underscored the importance of indigenous goods during his radio address, Mann ki Baat, stressing that true service to the nation lies in supporting locally made products.
The call for self-reliance has also been echoed by other leaders. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged citizens to “take a pledge on Raksha Bandhan to protect the country; that we will buy ‘swadeshi’.” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath added that, “Profits earned by foreign companies are being used to fund terrorism, Naxalism, religious conversion, and love jihad.”
