RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday stressed the importance of self-reliance and indigenous development, asserting that "swadeshi" and "swavalamban" have no substitutes in India’s path forward.
Speaking at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s centenary meeting in Nagpur, Bhagwat said that while global interdependence is a reality, it should not become a compulsion.
“The world operates through mutual interdependence, but we must ensure that it does not dictate our choices. We must be aatmanirbhar and act according to our own will,” he said.
Bhagwat pointed to the United States’ tariff policies, driven by self-interest, and said such moves do not threaten India. Instead, he highlighted the growing zeal among Indians, particularly youth and industry leaders, to see the country emerge as a global leader.
However, he cautioned against flaws in the prevailing global economic order, citing widening inequality, concentration of wealth, environmental degradation, and a shift toward transactionalism over human connection. “These are signs that the system needs to be rethought,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)