'Not just assembling. We're building quietly, steadily': Entrepreneur hits back at Rahul Gandhi  

An entrepreneur with three decades of manufacturing experience on Saturday countered Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's claim that India is only assembling imported goods and not building locally. Prakash Dadlani, who has worked extensively across India and China, said the real picture on the ground shows steady, capacity-driven growth in Indian manufacturing.

"I've been in the manufacturing sector for 30+ years and I disagree with you. I've a deep exposure to both India and China. And the reality on the ground tells a different story," Dadlani said in response to Gandhi's recent remarks.

Gandhi, while interacting with technicians at Nehru Place in Delhi, had claimed that India's manufacturing activity was at record lows and that most electronics were only being assembled, not made, in the country. "We assemble, we import, but we don't build. China profits," the Congress leader said in a social media post, suggesting the ‘Make in India’ initiative had failed to deliver results.

But Dadlani, with over three decades of experience in the manufacturing sector, offered a sharply different view. "I've been in the manufacturing sector for 30+ years and I disagree with you. I've a deep exposure to both India and China. And the reality on the ground tells a different story," he said.

"Yes, imports from China have risen. But a large part of that is capital goods: machines, tools, and components meant for domestic manufacturing. That's capacity-building," he added.

He described how the sector is evolving beyond assembly lines. "At the grassroots level, I see something else entirely: MSMEs expanding capacity and hiring again, Tier 2/3 hubs buzzing with activity—from auto ancillaries to EV parts, entrepreneurs building new-age D2C factories, not just reselling products, and online ecosystems forming around design, prototyping, and contract manufacturing."

According to him, the key question is not whether India is manufacturing, but whether bottlenecks are being solved. "The real question isn’t whether India is manufacturing, it’s whether we’re solving the bottlenecks: skilling, financial support, easier compliance, domestic demand aggregation,” Dadlani pointed out. "Let’s focus less on dramatic narratives. And more on tangible, structural shifts that are already in motion," he said.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier stated, "Make in India promised a factory boom. So why is manufacturing at record lows, youth unemployment at record highs, and why have imports from China more than doubled?" He also said India was "a market for others," and added, "Until India gets itself into manufacturing, it will be left behind. China has complete control over the mobile and laptop manufacturing industry."

Apple, which began assembling iPhones in India in 2017, currently operates three plants across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Gandhi argued that such assembly activity is not enough to drive real job creation or self-reliance. "Assemble as many iPhones as you want, all you are doing is giving money to the big oligopolies of India,” he said.

He also called for “honest reforms” and policy changes to support India’s producers. “India needs a fundamental shift—one that empowers lakhs of producers through honest reforms and financial support. We must stop being a market for others. If we don't build here, we'll keep buying from those who do,” Gandhi warned.