People in Jammu & Kashmir have now joined the rest of India in boycotting Chinese products and support ‘Make in India’ products after India lost 20 of its soldiers in Galwan valley clash with China on June 15.
In Kashmir, people have donned ‘Boycott China face masks’ in protest against China’s expansionist policies. They also carried banners saying `let’s use Indian products’, `let’s Boycott China’ and `let’s build our nation’.
“China is a country, which has always cheated and backstabbed us. As per the direction of our government, we need to boycott all Chinese apps and other products. We should buy Make in India products,” said Pritam Singh, local Corporator in Jammu.
In support, Surinder Mahajan, president of Jammu’s Rughnath Bazaar, said, “Boycott Chinese products is a good campaign. China has always backstabbed us. This country is not for friendship but boycott. All traders in India are boycotting Chinese products. We need to put more restrictions in Chinese products so that it will hurt it economically.”
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), an apex body representing seven crore traders, recently condemned the escalating tensions between the two nations on the border and launched a flagship campaign “Bhartiya Samaan, Hamara Abhimaan” to boycott Chinese goods.
To support the campaign, the CAIT issued a list of 500 items to be boycotted from categories like FMCG products, consumer durables, toys, finished fabrics, textiles, builder hardware, footwear and apparel among others.
However, CAIT has also appealed to Indian manufacturers to gear up to shoulder the responsibility.