NEW DELHI: Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has traditionally been opposed to foreign direct investment (FDI) into India. However, Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convenor of the organisation, which is an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), now makes a distinction between 'good' and 'bad' FDI.
Foreign investment in e-commerce, he holds, is bad because it takes away jobs. On the other hand, he welcomes investments from companies moving away from China — such production shifts would create employment, he told Mint.
Edited excerpts of the interview: What does self-reliant India mean to you, Mr Mahajan? I would link it to the past.