New DELHI, India – US-based multinational companies, from McDonald’s and Coca-Cola to Amazon and Apple, are facing calls to boycott their products in India. This is happening as executives and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stoke anti-American sentiment in protest against US tariffs.
India, the world’s most populous country, is a major market for American brands. It has rapidly expanded to target a growing base of wealthy consumers. Many of these consumers remain fascinated by global brands seen as symbols of advancement in life.
For example, it’s Meta’s largest WhatsApp user market. Domino’s has more restaurants than any other brand in the country. Drinks like Pepsi and Coca-Cola often dominate store shelves. Furthermore, people still line up when a new Apple store opens or when Starbucks offers discounts.
Although there is no immediate indication that sales will be affected, there is a growing chorus on and off social media. They are calling to buy domestic products and dispose of American products. This follows US President Donald Trump imposing 50 percent tariffs on goods coming from India. The tariffs are worrying exporters and damaging relations between New Delhi and Washington.
Manish Choudhary, co-founder of Indian company Wow Skin Science, posted a video message on LinkedIn. He urged support for farmers and startups to make “Made in India” a global slogan. He also suggests learning from South Korea, whose food and beauty products are known worldwide.
“India should have homemade Twitter/Google/YouTube/WhatsApp/Facebook – like China,” Ram Shastri, CEO of Indian driver ordering company DriveU, wrote on LinkedIn.
To be fair, Indian retailers impose intense competition on foreign brands like Starbucks in the domestic market. However, expanding globally has been a challenge for them.
However, Indian IT service companies have become deeply entrenched in the global economy. Companies such as TCS (TCS.NS) and (INFY.NS) provide software solutions to customers all over the world.
On Sunday, Modi made a “special appeal” for self-reliance. He said at a rally in Bengaluru that Indian technology companies have made products for the world. But, “now is the time for us to prioritize India’s needs more”.
