MUMBAI, Mar 19: As the Indian industry put its collective gaze on the BJP's national agenda for governance, they stumbled on a recurring word: Swadeshi.Most Indian industrialists welcomed some form of protection, and the responsibility for nation-building that the word implied. As Adi Godrej, chairman and managing director of Godrej Soaps put it: "Who else would build India, but Indians?"Godrej said: "The BJP's national agenda which broadly talks about the economic policy and education in addition to eradication of poverty is brilliant. However, it has to be implemented by the government to get the desired results. Serious doubts were also expressed from certain quarters, not necessarily only by multinationals. Said Gujarat Ambuja treasurer Anil Singhvi: "I like the BJP slogan: "India should be built by Indians". I would only like to add to this by saying: "India should be built by eminent and efficient Indians". These slogans hold good as long as they are implemented.
For the last 50 years, we have beendoing this (building India). I think any undue protection to Indian companies is a retrograde step. A policy should be formulated where no such undue protection is given. Regarding technology, which India has had access to since liberalisation, there is no point in re-inventing the wheel.
Take for instance Japan. The country did not go in for applied research. Instead, they improvised upon the existing technology, which is why they have been successful. I think what India requires is effective cost competitiveness. And this can be possible only in a liberalised regime."
The MNCs are not unduly worried. According to H J Heinz managing director Pradeep Poddar, too much is being read into the use of the word Swadeshi. He said: "I think we should not get into the semantics of the situation, we are making too much out of `swadeshi'.
I think we need to grow up to the fact that India is grooming itself towards becoming an economic major, leveraging on its know-how, natural resources and the best of brains.While the BJP has emphasised on certain points, the policy being followed is the same and at the end of the day India is heading towards the same goal of becoming one of the major economies of the world. The direction is irreversible at the macro level.
It is a misnomer that India wants to be an insular country. We as the responsible citizens are taking the country ahead, which is not wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with the policy, and we as the people of India are capable of achieving the goal."
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
