Swadeshi does not mean boycotting all foreign products completely: Mohan Bhagwat

New Delhi, Aug 13: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said that swadeshi does not necessarily mean boycotting every foreign product and asserted that only those technologies or materials may be imported which the country lacks traditionally or are not available locally.

Addressing the relevance of being self-reliant and swadeshi in the wake of the novel coronavirus, he suggested that the pandemic has made it clear that globalisation did not yield desired results and one economic model cannot be applicable everywhere.

The RSS Chief also said that mutual cooperation among self-reliant countries while considering the world as one family and not one market, seems to be the economic model required for post-COVID world.

Backing the BJP-led NDA government's decision for a self-reliant India, Bhagwat said swadeshi means to promote and give preference to indigenous products or technologies and not necessarily boycott all foreign items.

Citing a couple of examples, Bhagwat emphasised on the need for change in mindset and not considering domestic items as inferior.

He further pointed out that policy making in India was influenced by the west and other foreign countries. As a result, many locally available products and technologies were overlooked in favour of foreign items.