OPINION | West Asia’s geopolitical tremors reinforce India’s swadeshi doctrine

The RSS has advocated shunning reliance on foreign economic models in favour of a Swadeshi path to economic growth and development.

The churn in West Asia has sent tremors through energy markets, supply chains and capital flows across the world. This critical situation only reaffirms what Indian thinkers articulated decades ago: protecting economic sovereignty through ‘Swadeshi’ does not mean isolation; rather, it means preparedness to globalise on one’s own terms.

From the early ideological articulation of Swadeshi in post-independence India by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) thinkers such as Deendayal Upadhyay and Dattopant Thengadi to the structured, three-tiered indigenisation framework outlined in the 2026 Economic Survey under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the idea has evolved from a moral exhortation into a calibrated national strategy.

It is becoming increasingly clear that, in the highly fragmented global economy, India’s future rests on ‘disciplined Swadeshi’ — building critical capacities, strengthening domestic enterprise, and engaging with the world from a position of strength.

Post-independence, the RSS advocated shunning reliance on foreign economic models in favour of a Swadeshi path to economic growth and development. The Narendra Modi government should be credited not only with implementing this model on the ground over the past decade, but also with its foresight regarding the significance of ‘Swadeshi’ in dealing with global volatility.

Around a month before the eruption of the recent conflict in West Asia, the annual Economic Survey tabled in the Indian Parliament on 29 January 2026 underlined the importance of Swadeshi economics.

The Economic Survey’s Three-Tiered Swadeshi Framework

To recall what the Economic Survey stated: “India has performed well in recent years, but the global environment confronting it today is materially different and unsettled. In a world characterised by geopolitical fragmentation, strategic trade, volatile capital flows, and rapid technological disruption, the central constraint is no longer macroeconomic management alone. It is the depth and quality of state capacity.

In this uncertain global environment, India’s approach is to move beyond blanket import substitution towards a calibrated, three-tiered strategy that builds critical capabilities, reduces input costs, strengthens advanced manufacturing, and progresses from self-reliance to strategic indispensability.”

“In this setting, Swadeshi becomes inevitable and necessary. It is both a defensive and offensive policy lever to ensure continuity of production in the face of external shocks and to build enduring national capabilities that reinforce economic sovereignty.”

The Economic Survey framed this transition as a movement from strategic resilience — the ability to absorb shocks and preserve stability — towards strategic indispensability: the ability to become a source of reliability, capability and value for others.

Disciplined Approach to Indigenisation

According to the Economic Survey, Swadeshi must be a disciplined strategy, as not all import substitution is either feasible or desirable.

“Protection without productivity-enhancing investment, capability upgrading and export orientation creates fragility rather than strength,” the Economic Survey states.

At this juncture, it is important to recall the three-tiered framework proposed for indigenisation so that intervention builds long-term capability rather than preserving inefficiency. The three tiers are: critical vulnerabilities with high strategic urgency; economically feasible capabilities with strategic pay-offs; and areas of low strategic urgency or high-cost substitution.

These tiers are not static; rather, they evolve as technologies mature, costs decline or geopolitical conditions change, culminating in indigenisation geared towards export capability — a distinguishing feature of intelligent import substitution.

RSS and Swadeshi

It may be recalled that, as far back as the 1960s, the RSS, through its ideologues such as Dattopant Thengadi and Deendayal Upadhyay, began advocating the revival of Swadeshi economics. This was a time when policymakers influenced by capitalist or Marxist models were determined to transplant foreign economic frameworks onto Indian realities.

‘Swadeshi’ was mischievously equated with an inward-looking, regressive outlook, and terms such as the ‘Hindu rate of growth’ were coined to mock India’s slow economic progress.

Between 1990 and 2000, when ‘globalisation’ was the buzzword and anyone opposing it was bracketed as regressive, the RSS passed a series of resolutions emphasising the need for Swadeshi economics.

In 1994, its highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), declared:

“The vow of Swadeshi and intense nationalism alone can provide self-reliance and self-respect to the country. India carried on its struggle for independence against foreign domination on the basis of these lofty ideals. The enormous latent energies of the people will certainly be roused when this goal is pursued.”

A year later, in 1995, the RSS passed another resolution stating:

“It is evident that there is no alternative to Swadeshi and nationalism to successfully meet this challenge. Only the lifestyle and economic policies rooted in the heritage and values of this ancient nation can ensure self-reliance, prosperity and independence.”

In 1996, the RSS again emphasised:

“Our patriotic people have to further intensify and accelerate the Swadeshi movement in order to frustrate all such evil designs and safeguard our national security and sovereignty.”

By 1997, the RSS had termed the struggle to protect India’s economic sovereignty a ‘second war of independence’.

A 2022 resolution passed by the RSS provides a brief overview of the Swadeshi economic model. The resolution stated:

“Thrust is to be given to a Bharatiya economic model that is human-centric, labour-intensive, eco-friendly and lays stress on decentralisation and equitable distribution of benefits, and augments the village economy, micro-scale, small-scale and agro-based industries. Areas such as rural employability, unorganised sector employment, employment for women and their overall participation in the economy need to be boosted. Efforts are essential to adapt new technologies and soft skills appropriate to our societal conditions.”

Conclusion

It is evident that, in an era marked by grave geopolitical uncertainties and unprecedented economic shocks, Swadeshi is not a retreat from globalisation; it is India’s way of shaping globalisation on its own terms.

Earlier Sanghnomics columns can be read here.

(Arun Anand has authored two books on the RSS. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive.)

Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.