Kharge Slams Modi Govt Over China’s Exit from Indian Manufacturing, Export Curbs

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge sharply criticized the Modi government on Thursday, alleging a failure in its ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives following reports of Chinese engineers exiting Foxconn’s iPhone plants in southern India and China imposing export restrictions on critical materials. In a Hindi post on X, Kharge accused the government of compromising national and economic security by prioritizing Chinese investment.

Kharge questioned the government’s silence on China’s withdrawal of over 300 engineers from Foxconn’s facilities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, a move that could disrupt Apple’s iPhone 17 production and India’s manufacturing ambitions. He claimed the government “rolled out the red carpet” for Chinese firms, easing visa norms for their citizens to leverage the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, despite tensions from the 2020 Doklam and Galwan clashes, where 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

Highlighting China’s restrictions on rare earth magnets, essential for automobiles, electric vehicles, defense, and currency printing, Kharge noted the lack of response from the Modi government. He also pointed out that Chinese officials have denied meetings or approvals to Indian automobile industry delegations. Additionally, Kharge flagged China’s halt on specialty fertilizer exports to India over the past two months, despite continuing supplies to other nations. With India relying on China for 80% of these fertilizers, crucial for high-value crops, he warned of severe impacts on farmers already facing urea and DAP shortages.

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“Five years after giving China a ‘clean chit’ post-Galwan, the Modi government’s ‘Chinese guarantee’ seems to have no expiry date,” Kharge charged, alleging that India is now “watching helplessly” as China exploits this leniency. The remarks underscore rising concerns over India’s dependency on Chinese expertise and materials, threatening its manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

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