American multinationals like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, KFC and Subway are facing backlash in India after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Indian goods.
Yoga guru Ramdev has called for a nationwide boycott of American products, urging people not to purchase from these companies.
He warned that if Indians united against foreign brands, it could create economic disruption in the United States. Similar anti-American boycotts have been reported in countries like France, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Given India’s massive population of over 1.5 billion, a large-scale rejection of American brands could result in severe financial losses for these companies.
This situation has strengthened the call for “swadeshi” or homegrown goods. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the need for Indians to support local products, linking it to the vision of making India the world’s third-largest economy.
He urged citizens to value goods made by Indian workers and industries, highlighting the idea of buying only what has been created by Indian skill and effort.
Modi described this as the “vocal for local” mantra, encouraging people to prioritize indigenous products over foreign ones.
But technically, is it possible to ban these products? Each and every product found around is foreign. If at all to opt Indian brands, what are they? Will Indian youth boycott foreign brands as urged by Baba Ramdev? Will they follow Prime Minister Modi’s words with patriotic spirit? Could this really become a second Swadeshi Movement after Gandhiji’s?
The answer to these questions seems to be a big “No.” If the government truly wants to promote Swadeshi goods, it would need to officially ban foreign products so that people are forced to look for Indian alternatives.
As long as foreign brands remain easily available, why would consumers voluntarily switch to Swadeshi products simply out of sentiment?
If an official ban is not possible, the government could create hurdles for these brands by limiting cooperation in other ways.
However, there is a catch: almost all foreign food chains operate in India through franchises owned by Indians. Any action against these brands would directly hurt Indian entrepreneurs who run them.
It also appears that Baba Ramdev is treating this situation as an opportunity to promote and sell more of his Patanjali products, rather than solely focusing on the larger Swadeshi movement.