Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, targeted the Indian government's "Make in India" program, declaring it a dud. According to Rahul, excessive dependence of India on Chinese products is detrimental to national security. Rahul expressed this view in a discussion during the Lok Sabha on the policy speech of the President. At the same time, he underlined that according to military heads, the Chinese military had stepped forward into India's territory.
According to Rahul, China incursions into India are a consequence of the "Make in India" failure. He pointed out that most defense products of the country rely upon Chinese electric motors and batteries. In case there is a war with China, India would encounter problems because it relies on other countries for much of its supplies. India heads the consumer business but lags behind in manufacture. Indian companies outsource production to China and, for that matter, even the so-called "Indian-made" mobile phones contain parts sourced from China. Rahul also pointed out the fact that India depends on China to create AI. There is a very significant share of digital data that India produces globally, but only a small amount of this data is stored in the country. Most of the data required for AI technologies is controlled by China and the U.S., leaving India to rely on foreign sources of data.
On another note, Rahul criticized the foreign policy of the Indian government, saying that it has failed to serve India's interests. He referred to the recent visit of the U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, saying that such visits are symbolic and do not yield concrete benefits for India. He pointed out that the strategy of the government seemed to be more about appeasing foreign powers rather than fostering self-reliance and strengthening national security.
When Rahul was asked to explain this comment, he admitted that many of his statements are controversial but apologizes if they came across as insulting. He added that he's looking out for the issues that need to be taken care of at a national level and hoped that the government takes them very seriously.
Rahul's statements provoked a strong reaction from the ruling party, with Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, stating that opposition leaders should not make baseless claims. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar clarified that India's foreign policy is based on mutual respect and strategic cooperation, not on mere symbolic gestures.
Jaishankar added that the recent United States visit was aimed at engaging with U.S. authorities and furthering India's interests on the world stage, which he said had not been discussed in detail in parliament.