Bipin Chandra Pal on Swadeshi

Swadeshi was formulated in the heat of the Movement for Independence . There were various strains of interpretation of what was meant by Swadeshi outside the promotion of Indian goods and prohibition of foreign goods.

In his book " Swadeshi and Swaraj" Bipin Chandra Pal , one of the founding ideologues of the Swadeshi Movement and a member of the famous "Lal ( Lala Lajpat Rai ) , Bal ( Bal Gangadhar Tilak ) Pal ( Bipin Chandra Pal) , had this to say :

"Policy of Patriotic Politics in India

And in the view of this conflict of interests between the Government and the people of India ,the policy of Indian patriotic politics ought to be the old Liberal policy of laissez faire , that is , restrict the Government to their primary policies only.

Let the Government take care of the person and property of the people . Let them do nothing more ; and let everything else be done by the people , by their own exertion , independently of the Government ; because beneficient work that a despotic Government does increases the hold of despotism upon the affections and allegiance , if not the affections and allegiance , upon the acquiescence , of the people . In that lies the strength of despotic rule . And if a despotic government has had acquiescence of the general population of the country , liberalism , freedom . progressive politics is impossible of attainment in the country . Therefore , our policy is a policy of laissez faire ; and by insisting upon this policy by restricting the Government to it's narrowest possible limits , to discharge of those duties which it is bound to discharge , because it imposes taxes on us , by restricting the activities of the Government to the primary functions of grating protection to the people of this country , we hope to develop the spirit of self sacrifice , the spirit of self reliance , and the spirit of self determination in the people , and by this means we hope to attain the ideal of Swaraj."

Lala Lajpat Rai has a different take .....but for now that is a different story.....