E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

251 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughtwithin brackets. They did so in the hope of misleadingconsumers into believing that the companies were Indian, andso the goods manufactured by them were Swadeshi. Gandhiwas asked whether such companies and their products could beregarded as 'Swadeshi'. He answered: "As regards the definitionof a Swadeshi Company, I would say that only those concernscan be regarded as Swadeshi whose control, direction andmanagement ... are in Indian hands. I should have no objectionto the use of foreign capital, or to the employment of foreigntalent, when such are not available in India, or when we needthem, - but only on condition that such capital and such talentsare exclusively under the control, direction and management ofIndians, and are used in the interests of India. But the use offoreign capital or talent is one thing, and the dumping offoreign industrial concerns is totally another thing. Theconcerns you have named can not, in the remotest sense of theterm, be called Swadeshi. Rather than countenance theseventures, I would prefer the development of the industries inquestion to be delayed by a few years in order to permitnational capital and enterprise to grow up and build suchindustries in future under the actual control, direction andmanagement of Indians themselves." 9During the days of the struggle for Independence orSwaraj, the British Imperialist Government held the reins ofpower. They did not have the interests of the Indian masses atheart. Their strategy was to destroy indigenous industry, floodthe market with attractive goods manufactured by them, reducethe millions of our people to consumers", look upon ourcountry as a market for their goods and undertakings, fleece, orbleed our economy and our people, compel unequalcompetition to ensure that we languish and wither while therich becomes richer, and national and international disparitiesincrease. Today, political power vests in our hands, but itappears as though our weakness before the economic might of