Traders’ body to ask Deepika, Ranbir, Virat, Aamir, Katrina to stop endorsing Chinese brands

CAIT gen secy Praveen Khandelwal says it’s stepping up ‘boycott Chinese goods’ campaign due to Galwan Valley clash, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

Traders in Lucknow set fire to print-outs of the Chinese flag and Xi Jinping after Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Celebrities like Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and cricketer Virat Kohli should stop endorsing Chinese products, including mobile phones, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has said.

Following the violent face-off with Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers Monday, the traders’ body Tuesday gave a call for the boycott of 450 categories of Chinese products in India.

CAIT has now decided to approach these celebrities to ask them to stop endorsing Chinese products, including mobile phones such as Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo, among others.

“CAIT will approach various celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Vicky Kaushal, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Virat Kohli, Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh, to name a few, and motivate them to give up these endorsements, keeping in view the sentiments of Indian citizens,” Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of CAIT, told ThePrint.

Khandelwal said these celebrities should “respect the mood of the nation”. “Most Indian celebrities are endorsing Chinese mobile and electronic brands on one hand, while our soldiers are dying fighting the Chinese on the border,” he said, adding that the traders’ body will also make a public appeal to celebrities to immediately stop endorsing Chinese products.

“It is expected from these celebrities to stand with the sentiments of the Indian people who are up in arms against China for its aggression against Indian forces. They should be part of a campaign to boycott Chinese products for the cause of the motherland. It will be appreciated if they speak voluntarily to take part in the movement against Chinese goods,” Khandelwal added.

Boycott Chinese goods

While condemning the Chinese ‘military aggression’ at the LAC Tuesday, CAIT announced it would step up its nationwide campaign to boycott Chinese goods.

The face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh late Monday evening resulted in at least 20 deaths on the Indian side, including the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar unit.

Several Indian soldiers were also allegedly taken captive by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), but returned following talks at a higher level, sources in the security establishment said. PM Narendra Modi stated Wednesday that the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers will not go in vain.

CAIT said the traders of India are “deeply agitated and disturbed with the latest developments across the LAC in Ladakh”, and have taken a firm pledge to support its “national movement to boycott Chinese products and promote Indian goods”.

“CAIT has also urged the government to take certain immediate steps like cancelling Chinese contracts and making rules for withdrawing investment by Chinese companies into Indian start-ups and corporations, to give a strong, befitting response to China for its unethical and barbaric actions against the Indian soldiers,” said Khandelwal.

“Even though the business of the traders will suffer as quite a few are importing from China, but for them, nothing comes before national interest, and they have decided to stand in solidarity with the movement,” added CAIT national president B.C. Bhartia, who urged the government to take a strong position on China and cancel all government contracts awarded to Chinese companies.

Khandelwal further added that “there is an immediate need to put an end to Chinese dominance in the tech start-up segment”.

“Various Indian start-ups like Paytm, Udaan, Big Basket, Milk Basket, Flipkart and Swiggy have become giants riding on Chinese money. It is nothing but a sinister design of China to capture the Indian retail markets completely. The government must bring in rules to put a blanket ban on Chinese investments, as well advise these technological giants to withdraw Chinese investments,” he added.