'Will never let any harm come to....': PM Modi ahead of 50% US tariffs deadline

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said his government would continue to safeguard the interests of small entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, farmers, and animal keepers despite global economic pressures.

Addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad, Modi said, “Today in the world, everyone is busy doing politics based on economic interests. From this land of Ahmedabad, I will tell my small entrepreneurs, my small shopkeeper brothers and sisters, my farmer brothers and sisters, my animal husbandry brothers and sisters, your interests are paramount for Modi. My government will never let any harm come to you.”

He added that the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was receiving strong momentum from Gujarat, which, he said, was built on “two decades of hard work.”

India is empowered by walking on the path of Sudarshan Chakradhari Mohan Lord Shrikrishna, who symbolised strength and protection, and Charkhadhari Mohan Mahatma Gandhi, the independence movement hero who pushed for swadeshi with his spinning wheel, the PM maintained.

Referring to Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the Pahalgam massacre, and in an oblique reference to Pakistan, he declared India no longer spares terrorists and their masters. "Operation Sindoor embodied the bravery of our soldiers and determination of Sudarshana Chakradhari Mohan's India. Today, we do not spare terrorists and their masters, no matter where they are hiding," the PM told the gathering.

"For Modi, interests of farmers, cattle rearers and small scale industries are paramount. Pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it all," the PM affirmed as the August 27 deadline for 50 per cent US tariffs on Indian imports nears. He pushed for the widespread use of swadeshi goods.

"All of us should follow the mantra of buying only 'made in India' goods. Businessmen should keep a big board outside their establishments, saying they sell only 'swadeshi' goods," he stated.

*With Agency Inputs