New Delhi: Suggesting that the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative was a failure, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said manufacturing was at record lows and unemployment had surged in the country. Interacting with two technicians in Delhi’s Nehru Place, a popular electronics market, Gandhi said most products like mobiles were being “assembled in India” and not being built here. He posted a video of his interaction with Shivam and Saif on X.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha suggested that electronic parts were being imported and assembled in India, benefitting China in the process. “Make in India promised a factory boom. So why is manufacturing at record lows, youth unemployment at record highs, and why have imports from China more than doubled? The truth is stark: we assemble, we import, but we don’t build. China profits,” the Raebareli MP pointed out.
‘Make in India’ is PM Modi’s pet project to promote the country as a preferred global manufacturing destination. However, Gandhi claimed that since 2014, manufacturing has fallen to 14% of the economy. “PM Modi has mastered the art of slogans, not solutions… With no new ideas, Modi has surrendered,” Rahul said.
He also highlighted that employment would be generated from “made in India” and not from “assembled in”. “Assemble as many iPhones as you want, all you are doing is giving money to the big oligopolies of India,” he said. Apple began assembling iPhones in India in 2017. There are currently three assembly plants in India – two in Tamil Nadu, and one in Karnataka.
Elaborating on his claim, Gandhi further said, “People think made in India and assembled in India are the same. But they are different. Until India gets itself into manufacturing, it will be left behind. China has complete control over the mobile and laptop manufacturing industry.” The Congress leader underscored the need for “honest reforms” and financial support to empower the country’s “lakhs of producers”.
“India needs a fundamental shift – one that empowers lakhs of producers through honest reforms and financial support. We must stop being a market for others. If we don’t build here, we’ll keep buying from those who do. The clock is ticking,” he tweeted.
