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Ever since Monday’s news reports of 20 Indian soldiers dying in a clash with China along the disputed Himalayan border in Ladakh Bhati has been leading a vigorous “boycott China campaign.â€
On Thursday, he organized a protest in Greater Noida, a suburb of New Delhi, where the group called for boycotts of Chinese mobiles and urged traders not to sell Chinese goods.
“We are agitated over China’s aggression and brutal killing of our soldiers,†Bhati, a social activist, told Arab News on Saturday.
However, he seemed unaware that the mobile phones used by him and other protesters in the group were either produced by China or have Chinese components in them.
“It doesn’t matter,†he said, adding that sooner or later, “India will start producing its own mobiles.â€
“Is India being fed by China? India will match Chinese technological know-how sooner or later. We will sacrifice some of our indulgences to teach China a lesson,†he said.
It’s a thought and emotion echoed by Vivek Yadav of Jabalpur in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Under the banner of the People’s Resistance Group, Yadav organized a “boycott China†demonstration in Jabalpur on Thursday and asked all sections of society “to live without Chinese products,†reasoning that Indian money was “helping China grow.â€
“China is getting stronger and stronger with billions of dollars of Indian money that is going into their economy. This is affecting our economy and our local industry. This must stop now,†Yadav told Arab News.
“A day will come when China will start dictating terms to the Indian economy, and we would be at the beck and call of the Chinese economy,†he said.
After a month of tension along the disputed border in Ladakh, a deadly clash broke out between the two Asian giants, resulting in the loss of 20 Indian soldiers.
It was a rare escalation of tensions that had not taken place since 1975.
News of the soldiers’ deaths created a wave of emotion across the country, leading to protests, with several calling for a total boycott of Chinese products.
Under pressure, the government seems to be rethinking its deals with China, with state-run Indian Railways reportedly scrapping a $61.8 million contract with a Chinese firm. ■