Arvind Kejriwal takes jibe over PM Modi’s call for ‘swadeshi’

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal took a swipe on Prime Minister Narendra Modi of double standards after he urged citizens to adopt Swadeshi and prioritise Made in India products. In a post on X, Kejriwal asked whether the Prime Minister himself was prepared to abandon foreign-made goods. “Prime Minister ji, you want the public to use Swadeshi. Will you yourself start using Swadeshi? Will you give up that foreign aeroplane you roam around in every day? Will you give up all the foreign goods you use throughout the day?” he wrote.

Kejriwal also questioned the government’s stance on multinational companies operating in India. “Will you shut down the four American companies operating in India? Trump is insulting India and Indians every day. Won’t you do something too? People expect action from their Prime Minister, not sermons,” he added. His remarks followed criticism by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who accused the Prime Minister of hypocrisy in his lifestyle choices. “PM Modi wears glasses from Italy, a watch from Switzerland, uses a phone from America, uses cars from Germany, and is loaded on foreign brands, and yet he tells people to use Swadeshi products,” Singh told ANI. He further alleged that India continues to import goods worth crores from the US and China while the Prime Minister continued to call for the adoption of indigenous products. “It is a matter of regret that the country now faces a Prime Minister who has crippled the economy, broken the back of the common man, and even crippled foreign policy,” Singh added. AAP’s response comes after PM Modi, in an address to the nation on Sunday, said, “We need to make every home a symbol of Swadeshi, every shop should be adorned with Swadeshi products.” The remarks coincided with the introduction of newly approved Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, which came into effect on 22 September, the first day of Shardiya Navaratri.