Trade To Go On, But Should Be Free From Pressure: RSS Chief Amid Tariff Row

Trade between nations should be free of pressure, Mohan Bhagwat - chief of the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh -- said today, as an additional 25 per cent tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on India kicked in. Amid Indian exporters' call for quick action by the government to offset the impact, Mr Bhagwat underscored the need to promote indigenous goods. Only essential items should be imported -- everything else should be produced domestically, he said.

Speaking this evening at the last of the three-day Vyakhyanmala lecture series - held on the occasion of the RSS centenary celebrations -- Mr Bhagwat said: "International trade will continue, but it should be free from pressure and conducted voluntarily... That is why we must promote the use of swadeshi (indigenous goods). The country's trade policy should be based on voluntary cooperation, not compulsion".

"Being aatmnirbhar (self-reliant) does not mean stopping imports. The world moves because it is interdependent. So export-import will continue. However, there should be no pressure in it," he added.

Mr Trump had announced reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent that came into effect on August 7. He had topped it up with another 25 per cent over India's purchase of Russian oil -- bringing the total to 50 per cent.

There has been a chorus of distress from exporters, with multiple sectors expected to take a massive hit. There has also been a flood of ideas to counter its effects - from using this as an opportunity to develop ease of doing business to building stronger ties with other nations and divert exports. Many have also expressed opinion that India's domestic market is large enough to absorb most of the domestic production.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed the "Vocal for local" Swadeshi  campaign, urging shopkeepers to keep boards outside shops to advertise their Swadeshi wares. 

On Tuesday - a day before the tariffs kicked in - PM Modi called upon people to be vocal for local and said Swadeshi should be their life's mantra. Flagging off Maruti Suzuki's first electric vehicle e-Vitara from Gujarat's Hansalpur manufacturing facility, he said, "Anything made in India irrespective of the foreign investor or the colour of the currency... should be considered Swadeshi".

Speaking on the need to focus on "Swadeshi" today, Mr Bhagwat said it does not mean a rejection of foreign goods entirely, but rather becoming self-reliant. Urging people to buy local and village-made products, he said, "If we can make lemon water at home, why bring Coca-Cola?" 

"Bringing goods from outside hurts local vendors," he said. "Whatever is made in your country, there is no need to import it from outside. Whatever is necessary for life and is not made in your country, we will import it from outside".