By Hanika Kashyap
Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of double standards after his call for citizens to embrace swadeshi and prioritise Made in India products.
In an X post, Kejriwal noted that while the PM urges citizens to purchase Swadeshi goods, he himself urges foreign aircraft and products.
The former Chief Minister, in his Hindi post, questioned why the Prime Minister doesn’t begin by using Swadeshi products himself. He asked why Modi continues to fly in foreign aircraft, rely on imported goods, and allow American companies to operate in India while, according to him, US President Donald Trump insults India and its people daily.
He further remarked that citizens expect concrete action from the Prime Minister, not just speeches.
In his Sunday speech, the prime minister asked people to be more self-reliant and use fewer foreign-made products. Urging people to declare with pride, “I buy Swadeshi”, his remarks came against the backdrop of escalating tensions with the US over steep tariff increases and revised H-1B visa fees.
Along with his call for Swadeshi, the prime minister highlighted the Centre’s major revamp of the Goods and Services Tax, dubbed GST 2.0, which took effect on Monday. He described the rollout as a “GST saving festival”, saying the changes would ease the burden on consumers and stimulate domestic consumption and production.
Modi repeated his Sunday message in a tweet, saying that this Navratri is special as the GST savings festival and the push for self-reliance will gain momentum. He called for everyone to work together for a developed, self-reliant India.