Launching a scathing attack on the government, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi claimed that the 'Make in India' initiative of the government has failed and added that if and when India fights a war with China, we would be fighting with Chinese electric motors, Chinese batteries and Chinese optics.
We will be buying Chinese motors, Chinese optics and Chinese batteries, the Congress leader said.
“Our Chief of Army Staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory. This is a fact. The reason China is inside our territory is important...The reason China is sitting inside this country is because 'Make in India' has failed. The reason China sitting inside this country is because India is refusing to produce and I am worried that India is going to give up this revolution to the Chinese once again,” Gandhi said.
Taking another dig at the 'Make in India' initiative, Gandhi said while it was a good idea, "The result is right in front of you, manufacturing fell from 15.3 per cent of GDP in 2014 to 12.6 per cent of GDP today, which is the lowest share of manufacturing in 60 years. I am not blaming the prime minister, it would not be fair to say that he did not try. I could say that the prime minister tried but he failed."
Pointing out that India has a strategic partner in the US, the Congress leader said, "The partnership should focus on how India and the United States can work together to take advantage of this revolution."
India is as important as the United States for the simple reason that they cannot build an industrial system without us, he observed.
"The Americans simply cannot do what India can do because their cost structure is much more expensive than ours. We can build things that the Americans would never imagine."