Dallas, Texas: When he visited the U.S., Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the Indian diaspora in Dallas to boost India’s manufacturing sector. At an event organised by the Indian Overseas Congress on September 8, 2024, Gandhi urged that India improve its domestic manufacturing to address unemployment and compete with giant countries like China.
Gandhi pointed out that India and the United States face higher unemployment than China and Vietnam, thanks to their strong manufacturing industries. There are too few jobs in the West. India has a job shortage. Countries such as China and Vietnam don’t encounter this issue because they control the majority of world-level manufacturing,” he told students at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Gandhi says over the second half of the 20th century, manufacturing centres moved from the United States to South Korea, Japan, and then China. He said India should not give up manufacturing. India should not suggest that Chinese, Vietnamese or Bangladeshis are the only manufacturers. We need to strengthen our own manufacturing sector to follow democratic values, or else we may see serious issues both socially and economically, he explained.
Gandhi has brought attention to the flaws in the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign meant to help local manufacturing. In a February 2025 speech in the Lok Sabha, he said that the programme did not meet expectations and that the nation’s manufacturing sector had shrunk from 15.3% to 12.6% in GDP, which is the lowest percentage in six decades. Rather than producing jobs, the program contributes little to employment. That’s why the revolution in energy and mobility—renewables, batteries, electric motors, optics, and AI—offers us a compelling choice, as he highlighted in his blog.
Despite the country’s abundance of experts, he criticized the underappreciation of skilled labourers in India and advocated for their due respect. He said, “India recognises skills; it just needs to change its attitude towards those who have them.” He singled out the Tamil Nadu, Pune, and Maharashtra regions as examples where better teamwork can help expand India’s manufacturing.
He consciously pointed out to Indian Americans that they have the potential to help unite India and the US in creating a leading manufacturing democracy. For Americans, India matters just as much as the USA. Forde stated that our structures enable us to produce more and at a lower cost than what Americans can manage, which prompted a request for Phoenix and IAP to form a strategic alliance aimed at challenging China’s dominance in automotive batteries, motors, and advanced optics.
Some participants appreciated Gandhi’s statements, in particular how the diaspora supports India’s economic and educational progress. The Indian-American community greatly helps the Indian economy through their high salaries and substantial remittances, which are expected to reach $108 billion in 2024.
Gandhi spoke as discussions are underway to develop economic ties between the US and India, with a major focus on manufacturing. Hudson Institute reports indicate that the US could assist India in becoming a leading global manufacturing centre by providing investments and technology. This would encourage American firms to view it as an alternative site to China. Even so, when Gandhi made his comments in October 2024, Union Minister Goyal argued that India’s industrial growth is strong. He also argued that the Congress leader should stop raising local issues abroad, stressing that national unity is essential to achieve development targets by 2047.
He came to visit schools, talked with lawmakers and met officials, to strengthen relations and introduce his concept of an inclusive Indian economy based on production. Through his behaviour, Sonia Rajiv showed that love, respect and humility are key values in the political world.
As India adapts to economic and technological changes, Gandhi asks the diaspora to join in efforts to make use of India’s resources. This will improve the employment picture for its people.