As Trump tariffs hit India, RSS' Mohan Bhagwat stresses 'swadeshi' means engaging globally without pressure

Calling for discipline and adherence to democratic principles, the RSS chief urged citizens to respect the Constitution, laws, and rules of the land.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday underscored the importance of Swadeshi on a day when Donald Trump’s steep 50% tariffs on India came into effect, calling self-reliance the key to national strength.

Addressing an event marking the centenary of the organisation, Bhagwat said India must prioritise indigenous products and build an economy that engages with the world on its own terms, free from external pressure. “True Swadeshi,” he explained, “means voluntary global engagement, not one forced by compulsion.”

Reflecting on global turmoil, he noted that while the League of Nations failed to prevent the Second World War and even the United Nations has struggled to stop conflicts, the world remains on edge today. Rising unrest, intolerance, and what he described as “fanaticism” were eroding values across societies, he warned. The spread of ideologies like “wokeism,” he added, posed a deep crisis not just for India but for nations worldwide, unsettling both elders and youth alike.

Bhagwat stressed that religion should not be reduced merely to rituals or customs, but should be understood as Dharma—a universal principle that embraces diversity and teaches balance. He cautioned that societies were increasingly falling prey to what Mahatma Gandhi once called the “seven social sins”: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice, and politics without principles.

Calling for discipline and adherence to democratic principles, the RSS chief urged citizens to respect the Constitution, laws, and rules of the land. In situations of discontent, he said, peaceful protest should be the way forward, warning people not to be provoked by anarchist elements.