New Delhi, India — American consumer giants from McDonald’s and Coca-Cola to Amazon and Apple are facing a surge of boycott calls in India as business leaders and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi protest against steep new US tariffs on Indian goods. The wave of anti-American sentiment, amplified online and on the streets, follows former US president Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% duty on Indian exports — a move that has unsettled trade relations between New Delhi and Washington.
India has long been a critical growth market for US-based companies. Meta’s WhatsApp counts India as its largest user base, Domino’s operates more outlets here than anywhere else in the world, and Pepsi and Coca-Cola products dominate beverage shelves nationwide. Apple’s store openings still attract long lines, and Starbucks discounts draw crowds.
RELATED NEWS : Trump to increase tariffs on India because it continues to buy Russian oil
But the tariff dispute has shifted part of the public conversation toward “buying Indian.” The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an economic wing of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), staged rallies in several cities on Sunday urging consumers to shun American brands. The group has been circulating lists on WhatsApp recommending Indian alternatives for soaps, toothpaste, and soft drinks, and pushing graphics labeled “Boycott foreign food chains” with logos of McDonald’s and other US restaurants.
“People are now looking at Indian products. It will take some time to fructify,” said Ashwani Mahajan, the group’s co-convenor, calling the campaign “a call for nationalism, patriotism.”
The business community has joined in. Manish Chowdhary, co-founder of personal care brand Wow Skin Science, posted a video on LinkedIn urging support for local farmers and startups, and pushing to make “Made in India” a global phenomenon. “We have lined up for products from thousands of miles away. We have proudly spent on brands that we don’t own, while our own makers fight for attention in their own country,” Chowdhary said.
Rahm Shastry, CEO of car driver-on-call service DriveU, echoed that sentiment, writing that India should develop its own social media platforms like China’s WeChat, Weibo, and Youku to rival Twitter, Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook.
Prime Minister Modi, without naming specific companies, made a “special appeal” for self-reliance during a Sunday address in Bengaluru. “Indian technology companies make products for the world but now is the time for us to give more priority to India’s needs,” he said.
Still, US brands continue to expand in India despite the rhetoric. Tesla opened its second showroom in New Delhi on Monday, with Indian commerce ministry officials and representatives from the US embassy in attendance.
For some consumers, the political row has little bearing on daily choices. “Tariffs are a matter of diplomacy,” said Rajat Gupta, 37, as he enjoyed a 49-rupee ($0.55) coffee at a McDonald’s in Lucknow. “My McPuff, coffee, and fries are still good value for money.”
Globally, the tariff fallout is already being felt in other sectors. Toyota, which imports vehicles to the US, cut its full-year operating profit forecast by 16% on Thursday, projecting a nearly $10 billion hit from American duties on foreign-made cars.
Whether India’s boycott calls will translate into real changes in consumer spending remains uncertain. Indian retail chains like Café Coffee Day and Barista compete with Starbucks at home, but scaling globally has proved more challenging. By contrast, Indian IT giants like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys remain deeply embedded in the global economy, serving clients across continents.
For now, the boycott push serves both as a symbolic protest against Trump’s tariffs and as a rallying cry for economic nationalism. Whether it becomes a lasting shift in consumer behavior — or simply a political flashpoint — will depend on how the trade dispute evolves in the coming months.
SOURCE : DT VIA REUTERS | Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |
