Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, in his address to the nation on the coronavirus lockdown, had asked the nation to go ‘vocal for local’ and use the current crisis to make India self-reliant. A day later, Home Minister Amit Shah announced that all canteens of the Central Armed Police Forces will now, starting June 1, only sell indigenous products.
The twin moves had led many to ask on social media and otherwise whether the PM’s call meant to promote only Indian companies and their products. However, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has come out with a clarification today on what going ‘vocal for local’ means.
The party has said that local does not only mean products made by Indian companies, but also those manufactured in India by multinational companies or MNCs. The party stated that it would not make any distinction among them.
BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, GVL Narasimha Rao further made it clear that the party will not issue any directive to purchase local products. However, he added, many people might themselves start buying good quality products made in India.
"When we say local, it is not just local products made by domestic companies. Anything that is manufactured in India for us is local.
"Anything made locally, we won't make a distinction; there is not going to be any directive, you buy this or buy that, there is no directive. This will all be individual decisions," Rao told news agency PTI.
The BJP leader noted that amid the COVID-19 crisis, India has not just exhibited its ability to produce products needed for own consumption like N95 masks and PPEs, but has also helped other countries, like by supplying medicines to over 100 nations.
"It is not just in times of crisis (that we become self-reliant), it has to become life's mantra," he said. "We have the capability and capacity; we should really strive to make everything of great quality. That will also afford us opportunity to export. It is not just local opportunity. This will also help us to go global," Rao added.
He stressed that to promote local products was not a government-driven agenda, but a call for "mindset change".
"We have to give up this impression that foreign is better," he said.