PM Modi PC: Reuters
Once brushed aside, the idea of 'Swadeshi is regaining momentum. What was mocked by Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi as 'Assemble in India' is now being reshaped into a powerful package combining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' and 'Vocal for Local'. The tumaround came after former US President Donald Trump slapped India with steep 50% tariffs, among the highest in the world.
PM Modi has invoked citizens again and again to adopt Swadeshi, asking them to purchase Indian-made items even during celebrations. "Gifts must be Indian-made, clothes must be made in India... all must be Swadeshi," he exclaimed in his Mann Ki Baat address. The government has also started to support businesses such as textiles, gems, chemicals, and machine industries hardest affected by US tariffs, through export assistance and new market searches.
India's previous robust Swadeshi initiative was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the PM urged industries to make use of the crisis as an opportunity. Now, Union Minister Sanjay Seth has repeated the same, inviting MSMEs to participate in defence manufacturing through events such as the East Tech 2025 Expo, which seeks to order for Rs. 1,000 crore.
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BJP's economic cell chairman Gopal Krishna Agarwal clarified that Swadeshi is supported by across-the-board reforms, from reducing logistics expenses, bringing down taxes, and encouraging chip production to developing e-commerce platforms such as ONDC. He termed it an attempt to make India's industry 'globally competitive'.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat requested Indians to resort to local options instead of global brands, "In summer, you can prepare lemon sherbet and consume it, why import Coca-Cola or Sprite." He made it clear that Swadeshi is not about isolation but self-reliance with interdependence. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) brought out its 'Swadeshi Suraksha evam Swavalamban Abhiyan' and appealed for boycotting US-based entities like Amazon, Walmart, McDonald's, and Pepsi.
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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev also joined the cause, labeling US tariffs 'political bullying, hooliganism, and dictatorship'. He asked Indians to boycott American fast food outlets. His clout, heightened through Patanjali and millions of supporters, has lent Swadeshi new cultural traction. Even institutions like Lovely Professional University (LPU) have come on board, prohibiting Coca-Cola and Pepsi products on campus while attributing the move to the history of the 1905 Swadeshi movement.
The word 'Swadeshi, literally means 'made in one's own country', traces back to 1905, when Bengal's partition triggered India's first major boycott of foreign goods. Today, Modi's Swadeshi is not just about rejecting imports but about self-reliance, cultural pride, and economic strength. More than a slogan, it has transformed into a movement.
