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Under 'Make in India', we're assembling, not manufacturing: Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi, in a post on X, stated that 80 per cent of the components of most TVs made in India come from China.
He further pointed out that a lack of policy and support, along with heavy taxes and the monopoly of corporations, are stopping small entrepreneurs who want to manufacture.
"Do you know that 80 per cent of the components of most TVs made in India come from China? In the name of 'Make in India', we are merely assembling, not truly manufacturing. From iPhones to TVs - the parts come from abroad; we just put them together," the former Congress President said.
"Small entrepreneurs want to manufacture, but there's neither policy nor support. On the contrary, heavy taxes and the monopoly of select corporates - which have gripped the country's industry," he added.
Gandhi further emphasised that until India becomes self-reliant in production, talks of jobs, growth, and "Make in India" will remain mere speeches.
"Until India becomes self-reliant in production, talks of jobs, growth, and 'Make in India' will remain mere speeches. Ground-level change is needed so that India moves beyond the assembly line to become a true manufacturing power and can compete with China on equal footing," the Congress leader said.
Gandhi had earlier, during the winter session in the Parliament, alleged that the Modi government's 'Make In India' initiative has failed to revive its share of manufacturing in GDP, which has come down from 15.3 per cent of GDP in 2014 to 12.6 per cent, which is the lowest in the past 60 years.
He had said that China has been working on batteries, robots, motors, and optics for the last ten years, and it has at least a ten-year lead on India in this space.
"As the world stands on the brink of a technological and economic revolution, India needs a new vision for growth, production, and participation--one that directly addresses our two biggest challenges: the job crisis and the lack of opportunity for 90 per cent of Indians," Gandhi posted on X later.
"Jobs come from production, which Make In India has failed to revive. But we have an opportunity with the revolution in energy and mobility - with renewable energy, batteries, electric motors and optics, and AI to bring these together. India must master a central role in this revolution, and boost production to give our youth hope for the future," he said.
"Although China is 10 years ahead, we can catch up - with the right vision. An INDIA government would realign education, enlist experts, widely spread finance, and align our trade and foreign policies. Production is also the foundation of our national security. In a world where wars are not fought between armies but between industrial systems, our dependence on Chinese imports like motors and batteries puts us at risk," he added.

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Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Kanhaiya Kumar at Idea Exchange: ‘In the Opposition, you will see a reluctance to protect their base vote'
Congress leader and NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar on his political journey, retaining his Left ideology, revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and student activist Umar Khalid. This session was moderated by Asad Rehman, Senior Correspondent, The Indian Express. Asad Rehman: Could you talk about your political journey that began as a member of All India Students' Federation (AISF) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). You contested an election for the CPI in Begusarai (Bihar) and are now with the Congress as NSUI in-charge. I believe that my political journey started even prior to my birth. The moment you are born in this country, you are assigned a caste, religion and gender. These three are the strongest premises of politics. Politics begins with birth, identity — so it's right to say one's political journey also begins at birth, which comes with certain privileges and drawbacks. Talking specifically about my active political role, I joined AISF during my Plus Two. I wasn't very aware of ideologies but the place I come from is politically quite active. Begusarai was called 'Mini Moscow' because the CPI continuously won in our home constituency for 50 years. There were also many factories, so slogans of labour movements were common. When I went to college, I didn't understand politics and since I wasn't very good at protesting, the AISF gave me work that suited me, which was to organise film screenings every Friday. I then came to Delhi to prepare for UPSC. I didn't come to JNU to do politics. I always say this: being part of politics in JNU was by chance, being in the Congress is by choice and being against the BJP is by choice. In JNU, we were student activists, people elected me because they felt like. The government arrested me because they felt like. This was by chance. After being released from jail, I continued to fight. To advance that fight, I need the support of Rahul Gandhi and his party. This is by choice. So you can say my journey in electoral politics started from JNU. I lost two elections in JNU first, then won one. I've also lost two elections now, let's see when will I win one. Asad Rehman: What should be the Opposition's strategy regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, especially since the Congress is opposing it? This issue is both political and legal, so it should be fought in both ways. The Opposition has filed a petition in the Supreme Court and is also protesting on the streets. This is the first time in 11 years that the Election Commission (EC) has admitted it made a mistake. They haven't issued a statement but they have been forced to acknowledge that a mistake occurred and that there is a discrepancy in the voter list. They are planting news that people from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar have been found in Bihar. The other dangerous aspect is that the EC is not handling its own responsibilities; it is taking on responsibilities of other departments. Verifying citizenship is not the job of the EC, it is the job of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The EC's job is to identify voters and include their names in the voter list. It must accept any certificate issued by the government. We are not saying don't correct the voter list but the Chief Election Commissioner himself should also be corrected. The whole question is about transparency, integrity and intention. The government has eliminated the role of the Supreme Court in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner. Now only three people will choose: the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Leader of the Opposition. When the election is always by majority, the government will have an influence. Now, it is up to the EC to save its integrity. They should not work in a hurry with this three-month timeline. If you want to correct the voter list, do it thoroughly. On SIR of Electoral Rolls | The EC must first admit that there was a discrepancy in the voter list… Don't create more discrepancies while fixing the existing ones. Take your time. Prepare the voter list, don't start doing the NRC instead There is a specific kind of problem in Bihar. It's related to birth certificates and caste certificates. No one has a genuine birth certificate. When we talk about caste certificates, not a single person from the general community gets a caste certificate made. It is only the SC, ST, OBC who make caste certificates, but now that process is also so lengthy that people in Bihar don't want to take government benefits. Does the EC know Bihar's actual population? The last census was in 2011. The EC must first admit that there was a discrepancy in the voter list… Don't create more discrepancies while fixing the existing ones. Take your time. Prepare the voter list, don't start doing the NRC instead. Asad Rehman: Several Congress leaders are concerned that in Bihar the INDIA Alliance and Congress have been unable to attract other communities beyond Muslims and Yadavs. There are also concerns regarding over-reliance on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). What is your opinion? It's not entirely correct but it's not entirely wrong either. It's not entirely correct because we are trying. The first guarantee we have launched is Mai Bahin Maan Yojana. It is for poor women from all communities — Muslims, Yadavs, Brahmins, Dalits, other backward classes. We are reaching out to every section of society and our guarantees will be for all communities. What you said is not entirely wrong because many leaders are entirely dependent on their base vote — I don't know what difficulty the Opposition has in accepting this. About the SIR issue in Bihar, in Patna they started accepting Aadhaar before the Supreme Court's direction. In Seemanchal, they were not accepting it. BJP protects its base vote. However, in the Opposition you will see a reluctance to protect their base vote. Will the BJP not keep saying Hindu-Muslim? BJP will do whatever benefits them. We won't make our strategy according to the BJP but our strategy is that the Congress is a party for everyone… We should protect our base vote and expand it. I disagree that there is dependence on RJD. In the chemistry of politics, a lot depends on the proportion of many things and the Congress must play its role. Other than the RJD, which has a base vote that is the same as the general base vote of the Opposition, the Congress party's job is to bring other people along. Teamwork is important. Manoj CG: In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Congress could only win 99 seats. Since you have come to the party from outside, I wanted to ask, where do you see it failing? I was one of the biggest critics of the Congress when I was in university, especially of the Manmohan Singh government. I used to think that things were getting worse. But when PM Modi came, I thought, 'No, abhi toh party shuru hui hai (the party has just begun); a lot more is yet to happen to us.' That's when my perspective changed. My training is from the Left, so I first look at the economy. I realised that both neoliberalisms are not the same. There is a difference between the neoliberalism of the Congress and that of the BJP. I was observing what was wrong from earlier, but I came to the party because of what is right. One of that is Rahul Gandhi's integrity. Even if speaking the truth leads to immediate electoral loss, it should still be spoken. So when he made a major attack on the BJP at the policy level, whether it was the Rafale issue or the Adani matter, he would speak but many other leaders wouldn't. This situation still exists. So it is very important to convey what is being said at the top to the rank-and-file at the grassroots. Seva Dal, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, NSUI should work as a mass front. The Congress has brought a big policy-level change with the appointment of district presidents and their direct communication with the party leadership… We want to build an organised team of ideological people at the polling stations. Jatin Anand: You have contested two high-profile Lok Sabha elections, one against Giriraj Singh in Begusarai and the other in Delhi, against Manoj Tiwari. Did you try to assess why you didn't win either? Both elections were different, so the ways of contesting them were different. I fought this one entirely in an urban demography and that one was rural demography. In Delhi, I'm just a Bihari, but in Bihar I am known by my caste. The timing is also important. When I contested that election, I had just been awarded my PhD in 2018. I had come out of university and was fighting from a Left party, so its content was a bit different. When I was contesting the Delhi election, I was fighting in an urban area in 2024. The content of that election was different. But the intent was one: to defeat the BJP. I was contesting against heavyweight candidates both the times, and on both occasions Modiji came to my constituency. On Over-dependence of the congress on RJD in Bihar | I disagree… Other than the RJD, which has a base vote that is the same as the general base vote of the Opposition, the Congress party's job is to bring other people along Jatin Anand: Many parties in the INDIA Alliance feel it is the responsibility of the Congress to take it forward. What is your view? It is true that the Congress party is a large Opposition party, so it has the responsibility of keeping everyone together. But this is one aspect. The other aspect is that everyone has their own interests. Deeptiman Tiwary: Student activist Umar Khalid has been in jail for almost five years. Why is no political party protesting? Why is no one speaking about him? It seems everyone has abandoned him. These allegations are false. He has not been abandoned. There are people who care for him, his family members — they are continuously raising the issue in every possible way. Along with Umar, many others are imprisoned. There are many whose names no one even mentions. For example, no one mentions Meeran (Meeran Haider), and he was the president of RJD's youth wing in Delhi. Umar and I were together in university but we were never in the same party… Regarding this specific case, I have openly said everywhere that this is a very dangerous conspiracy of this government, not against any individual but fundamentally against democracy. The aim is to scare you so much and make you a symbol so that no one else dares to speak up. Deeptiman Tiwary: You left the Left camp and said that Congress was your choice. I haven't left the camp, I left the party. Just because I have changed my party doesn't mean I have changed my ideology. Liz Mathew: Many Congress MPs feel that Rahul Gandhi does not take up issues that resonate with people. What is your view? There isn't any problem here. If we attack the root cause, it is a good thing because there are many people who talk about superficial things. They don't talk about the root cause because there is danger in that. They may have to incur heavy losses. If we say that people aren't getting facilities at the airport, then who has the proprietary rights to the airport? Who decides the policy regarding how the management behaves with the consumers? I agree that this is complex communication and transactional things are understood more easily, but it's important (to ask) who is the policy being made for, how is it affecting the public sector and the general public. Liz Mathew: Several politicians have left the Congress while others have criticised the party and some have been critical of the leadership. The latest is Shashi Tharoor, who is extremely popular. What do you think about his recent rifts with the party leadership? I was a Left party member and if anyone spoke outside the party forum, they were removed. They expelled veteran leaders such as Somnath Chatterjee, PC Joshi. Now I am in the Congress and the party has a certain beauty that you can continue to be in the party even if you say anything against the Gandhis. There is that much freedom. Second, yes, he (Tharoor) is popular, no doubt. That is why Modiji has sent him instead of his own leaders. Thirdly, whether he will leave the party or not is his decision. I would want him to stay. Apart from him, the people who have left, that is their call. Vikas Pathak: Since Rahul Gandhi emerged as the face of the Congress over a decade ago, should the blame for the party's decline rest on him or on the party workers for not having taken his message to the people? I am against the politics of faces. Politics of faces is the bankruptcy of this era, both ideologically and theoretically. Who is considered a leader? The one who wins elections, who distributes tickets, or the one who neither wins elections nor distributes tickets, yet their poster is put up? This is a very complex question in today's era for the Congress party. It was a party born out of struggles, it remained in power for a very long time, and due to that, many problems naturally arise in any party… My belief is that not being able to convey that message — one with which the Congress party was formed and grew — to the grassroots is a very big reason. If that message had continued to reach through action, not speeches, then this situation would not have emerged. On Congress' Responsibility in INDIA Alliance | Congress is a large Opposition party, so it has the responsibility of keeping everyone together. But this is one aspect. The other aspect is that everyone has their own interests Muzamil Jaleel: The Congress can have an alliance with the Shiv Sena but not (Asaduddin) Owaisi. The party clearly hesitates to speak on Muslim issues. Would you agree? I think one should avoid putting Thackeray on one side and Owaisi on the other because I have never heard Owaisi say that he wants to make India an Islamic nation. This is the effect of that repeated lie that now we too are saying what the BJP wants to hear. If we do this, we will ultimately lose the battle for citizenship in this country and the Congress should avoid this dichotomy. And it tries to avoid it. For us, saving every citizen is important. The idea of India should be clear: that no person living in this country shall be discriminated against based on their identity. To protect that idea of India, whoever becomes an ally, we take them along. It doesn't mean that we have complete ideological similarity with the political party with whom we are forming an electoral alliance. Saman Husain: During the North-East Delhi election campaign, I followed all your public speeches closely. You spoke about a larger sense of unity that you would want in the country and the prevailing communal disharmony but there was no direct mention of the 2020 Delhi riots. North-East Delhi was hit badly by communal riots. What do you have to say about this? Maybe you missed some speeches. Or sometimes what happens is that we only hear what we want to hear, or what we are able to hear. Perception is so powerful that it even impacts hearing power. I myself don't remember how much I spoke. But my entire fight is against rioters. So, how can I not speak against the riots? Asad Rehman: But did you talk about the riots in your campaign? Obviously, I did, I must have. I have been talking about the same thing for 10 years. Saman Husain: You spoke about the prevailing disharmony and a larger idea of secularism that all Congress leaders talk about but you hardly made any direct mention of the Delhi riots. It is not like that. If you think so, then it is your opinion but I have been defying it, denying it. This is how perception is built… If you assert yourself as a Muslim, then you will assert me as Hindu as a byproduct… I am a very straightforward and direct person. I am saying that when we talk about harmony, is it not against rioters? If we have been speaking for so long, have we been speaking in favour of the BJP? Aakash Joshi: In the Congress, unlike the BJP or Left parties, ideological clarity is tough — it has many leaders who speak in many voices. How do you think this should be addressed? First of all, when we talk about ideological integrity or ideological communication, it's not that parties with the same ideology haven't split. Several cadre-based, ideologically driven parties have split in the past. This is the first time in India that right-wing ideology has come to power in this way. They haven't split up yet, but it's not that they won't. Congress is a bit different in this matter. Here, people with different ideological connotations also stay in one party.


India Today
28 minutes ago
- India Today
Adhir Ranjan seeks PM's intervention in harassment of Bengali migrant workers
Former Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns about the alleged harassment and detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Maharashtra and Odisha. He said the workers are facing "harassment, humiliation, physical torture, and uncalled-for detention" based solely on their language and a letter sent on Sunday, the former Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha urged PM Modi to intervene immediately and ensure the safety and dignity of these workers, many of whom are daily wage earners from West alleged that the migrant workers are being targeted simply for speaking Bengali, which is reportedly being mistaken for Bangladeshi. "It is with immense anguish and a great deal of concern that I am seeking your kind intervention that a large number of Bengali migrant workers are being subjected to," he Congress leader added that the issue is deeply disturbing as these workers are Indian citizens, contributing significantly to the local economies of the states where they work."What is deeply saddening is the fact that migrants who belong to the poor and down-trodden section of society and are bonafide Indian citizens are being harassed under the pretext of the fact that their physical appearance and accent of language spoken are similar to the people of Bangladesh," Chowdhury the situation "inhumane," he said that targeting a linguistic group on such grounds must not be allowed to continue. Chowdhury urged the Prime Minister to direct the Union Labour and Home ministries to take immediate steps to protect these workers."The Union Government under your Leadership is bestowed with the responsibility of protecting the lives and livelihood of the country's citizens," he wrote."I eagerly look forward to your kind intervention, as the Head of the Government, in protecting the lives of its Bengali-speaking citizens, who belong to the poorer section of Indian society and are interstate migrant workers," the letter read on July 13, Chowdhury had also written to President Droupadi Murmu, drawing her attention to the same on Friday, members of a Trinamool Congress-affiliated workers' union staged a protest march in Siliguri against the National Register of Citizens (NRC), condemning the reported harassment and pushback of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from BJP-ruled states.- EndsMust Watch


The Hindu
41 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill: joint committee didn't follow process properly, alleges Congress
Facing a flak for not giving a dissent note in the joint committee which scrutinised the controversial Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill before it was tabled in the Maharashtra Legislature, Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately subverting the process by making last minute changes to the schedules of the joint committee meetings. The committee held five meetings before clearing the Bill unanimously. The government has said on record that none of the members, including prominent Opposition leaders, gave any dissent note to the committee when the Bill was scrutinised. The Bill has been brought 'to provide for effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of Left wing Extremist organisations or similar organisations.' 'The proceedings of the committee were not carried out properly. Only two meetings were held as per the schedule. Else, the government kept changing the dates and timings of the committee meetings. It was to make sure that the opposition members are not able to attend the meetings due to last minute changes,' Harshwardhan Sapkal, Maharashtra State Congress president, told The Hindu. The joint committee of the legislature was formed in December 2024 to scrutinise the Bill. It consisted of 25 members and was headed by Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The committee included several prominent opposition leaders from the MahaVikas Aghadi including Congress leaders Nana Patole, CLP Vijay Waddettiwar, Satej Bunty Patil; NCP SP leaders Jitendra Awhad, Shashikant Shinde, Shiv Sena UBT leader Bhaskar Jadhav. Maharashtra Legislative Council's Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, a Shiv Sena UBT leader, was a special invitee member. Mr. Sapkal said that the party leaders raised several valid objections to the Bill when it was being discussed in the joint committee. But said that since the date of the meeting was preponed at the last minute, the party could not submit a dissent note. 'We did not get any time to give written objections. The government got it cleared and tabled in a lot of hurry,' Mr. Sapkal said. 'There was no dissent note given by any of the opposition parties' legislators who were members of the committee. The Bill was cleared by everyone unanimously,' chairperson of the joint committee Chandrashekhar Bawankule said. When asked about the allegations of the Congress, he refuted the claims. 'All the proceedings were held as per procedure. In fact, it was Jitendra Awhad, an NCP SP MLA, who had suggested changes to the Preamble. We have changed the preamble accordingly. Several instructions by the opposition were taken on record and changes were incorporated accordingly,' he told The Hindu. The Bill was thereafter passed by the Maharashtra Legislature during the recent monsoon session of the Assembly. Congress and Shiv Sena UBT did not oppose the Bill openly in the Legislative Assembly on July 10, but took a strong stand against it in the Legislative Council and staged a walkout before the Bill was put to vote. The Governor has been sent the Bill for his assent now. Civil society upset 'We are upset with what happened in the Assembly. We had been working with the opposition leaders for months, since the beginning of the joint committee proceedings. We had expected them to take a strong stand against this anti-democratic Bill. Instead, they gave mild speeches,' said Ulka Mahajan, a prominent civil society activist and the State convenor of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan. When asked why the Congress leaders who were a part of the committee did not oppose the Bill in the Assembly or submit a dissent note to the Speaker, committee member and senior Congress leader Nana Patole told The Hindu, 'We were told that as per the procedures, the members of the committee cannot speak on the floor of the House and oppose the Bill. It was wrong information.' CLP Vijay Waddettiwar asked, 'What is the point of giving a dissent note after the Bill has been passed in the Assembly?' On the next day, the MVA gave a dissent note to the Chairperson of the Legislative Council after the Bill was passed in the Upper House.