Rahul Gandhi, Raghuram Rajan think India is 'incapable' of making defence products: EAM Jaishankar
I think first of all, you have today a shift in our thinking on manufacturing that contrary to the Raghuram Rajan, Rahul Gandhi view of manufacturing that we are incapable of it and we should not be doing it, and that you make fun of Make in India. Actually we believe strongly we are capable of manufacturing and it is necessary to manufacture. I would actually put defense exports not as the derivative. The the primary change is in Make in India that we today have a strong insistence that as far as possible with as many partners on an as many products or capabilities to the extent they can be fully or partly or collaboratively produced. In India we think that is good for us because that is part of building your manufacturing because that the manufacturing involved in defense also gets involved in non defense and vice versa. So there is first in fact I would even put defense as a derivative. I think first of all, you have today a shift in our thinking on manufacturing. That contrary to the Raghuram Rajan, Rahul Gandhi view of manufacturing that we are incapable of it and we shouldn’t be doing it and that you make fun of Make in India. Actually, we believe strongly we are capable of manufacturing and it is necessary to manufacture because without manufacturing you would not get technology, you would not be able to develop your technology. So however tough it is, however hard it is, we have to get into the manufacturing game. More seriously, once you get into it, then you apply that manufacturing everywhere. I mean, I would do it in defense, which is your question, but I would say do it in railways. I would do it in, I mean give me, give me, I would do it in telecom. So I would actually push this country to do as much manufacturing in as many sectors as possible. And the initial years of it will be difficult because you are competing against people who are established to a bigger scale, who have in certain cases other advantages of subsidies etcetera. But once you start manufacturing then you start looking for markets. Now defence is something where your domestic market does only one user. So it once you become a defense manufacturer, I would say it is stands to reason you will become a defense exporter. Once you become a defense exporter, why should you have those constraints again? You know, I mean everybody else exports defense products and services. Why should you be holier than the rest of them? And you know, bind yourself down for business is business. So therefore I would say defense exports to defense, to defense industry to make in India, to manufacturing to actually getting ourself into a balanced economy. And I think this is the kind of thinking which is really missing till the last ticket.