In a Sunday address, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to stop using foreign-made goods and instead support domestic products, promoting a nationwide campaign for self-reliance following worsening trade relations with the United States.
Following the imposition of the 50 percent tariff on imported Indian goods by US President Donald Trump, Modi has been encouraging people to use “Swadeshi”, or products made in India. His followers have begun the boycott of American brands such as McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Apple that are extremely popular in India.
Before the implementation of major consumer tax cuts on Monday, Modi stated in a speech, “A lot of products we use daily are foreign-made, we just don’t know… we will have to get rid of them.” He did not specify any country but added, “We should buy products that are made in India.”
The 1.4 billion-populated India is a big consumer of American consumer goods, which they frequently buy at the US e-commerce store Amazon.com. The US brands have seen their penetration extend to smaller towns over the years.
Modi requested the shopkeepers to concentrate on selling the Made-in-India products by claiming that this will enhance the economic growth of the country.
However, most of the companies have, in recent weeks, been promoting local goods more.
The visit of India Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to Washington is likely to happen soon, as trade negotiations, and this visit would come at a time of trying to de-escalate tense bilateral relations.
