Q: So somewhere, you are talking about' Swadeshi' model.
Ram Madhav: Absolutely. Swadeshi should be understood in this manner. We are not saying, close your borders. We are saying, have strong economic base in India and then go for liberalization. We have seen that happening in China, from 1979 onwards.
Q: ‘Swadeshi' does not seem to be on priority list of Modi's govt in Gujarat. Modi is bullish on foreign investment. So if Modi becomes PM, will this issue not lead to confrontation between RSS and Modi?
Ram Madhav: Even in Gujarat, their manufacturing base is strong. Their infrastructure is strong. They have good roads, electricity, and good internet connectivity. Once you develop all this, you go for open markets, you invite people from outside. But in India, where is electricity and roads? How can industry survive in this country? Probably for the next government, this is the biggest challenge. The pathetic condition of our basic infrastructure speaks volumes about today's economic mess. That has to be corrected.
Q: Let's move on to ‘religious terrorism'. Who do you blame for it and what remedy will you suggest for tackling this?
Ram Madhav: Deal with it sternly. A ‘stern' state is needed to contain terrorism. A state that has guts to act against terrorists, without any considerations. The sad part in this country is even terrorism gets mired in political controversies. We are still not able to decide who is terrorist, who is not. In countries like England, they have the special evidence act which is so strict compared to the laws that we have in India. India is the only country that has done away with existing tough laws whereas in the whole world, newer and newer laws are being made to tackle terrorism. The reason being that in India, we treat terrorism with a political view. We should not do that. Deal terrorism ruthlessly, mercilessly.
