Dependence on other countries India's main adversary, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India's biggest adversary is its dependence on other nations as he raised the pitch for self-reliance, calling for indigenous production of items across sectors, from “chips to ships”.

- Maulik Pathak

Addressing an event in Gujarat's Bhavnagar, from where he unveiled maritime and development projects worth over 34,200 in different states, Modi said that reliance on others will hurt the country's self-respect.

"...Dependence on other countries is our biggest enemy. And together we must defeat this enemy of India, this enemy of dependence. For peace, stability and prosperity in the world, the country with the world's largest population must become self-reliant," he said.

The remarks come against the backdrop of economic tensions with the US, including trade hurdles, tariff disputes and President Donald Trump's latest move to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, which is set to significantly affect Indian tech professionals.

His comments were in line with a pitch he made earlier, in which he called on citizens to adopt the spirit of “swadeshi” and support locally made products, stressing that true service to the nation lies in promoting indigenous goods amid global economic uncertainties. “We cannot leave the future of 1.4 billion countrymen and the coming generation to others. We cannot leave the resolve for the country's development on others,” Modi said.