Trade shouldn't be done under pressure: RSS chief

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said India needs to take concrete steps to achieve 'atmanirbharta' or self-reliance.

- ARCHIS MOHAN

He urged the people to embrace 'swadeshi' by buying locally-manufactured products and said international trade should take place voluntarily and not under pressure.

On the second day of his three-day lecture in the national capital, which is being held in the run up to the RSS' centenary on Vijayadashami day on October 2, Bhagwat said India needs to present to the world a development model based on self-reliance, swadeshi, and respect for the environment.

On self-reliance, Bhagwat said it does not mean stopping imports. "The world moves because it is interdependent. So exports-imports will continue. However, there should be no pressure in it," the RSS chief said on Wednesday evening. This comes hours after the additional 25 per cent tariffs were imposed by US President Donald Trump on India for its purchase of Russian oil.