Indians boycott ‘Made in China’ products for Diwali

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, Oct 7: Beijing’s unrelenting support for Pakistan and persistent drive to foil permanent UNSC membership has forced Indians to boycott ‘Made in China’ products as nationalist sentiments surge in India.

14627945_1278328765544864_1887522274_nDubbed as the ‘swadeshi campaign’, triggered by a fake letter claimed to be signed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging Indians to use swadeshi products during Diwali and snub Chinese goods, has gained momentum in India, a major market for Chinese products.

Diwali, the largest Indian festival that thrives on cheap Chinese products such as toys, fancy lights, gift items, plastic ware and decorative goods saw a significant decline in sales.

Traders at some of the biggest wholesale markets across the country have reported 10 – 20 percent fall in demand for ‘cheaper’ Chinese wares, said a report by Indiatoday, Oct 7.

“Retailers from NCR and other states come to this market to purchase items. And, there has been huge demand of Chinese items as they are cheaper. But, this time they have taken lesser amount of such items. Instead, they specifically asked for Indian items,” the report quoted Devendra Bansal, a trader from Sadar Bazar, the biggest wholesale market in north India as saying.