RSS Groups Propose Budget Measures to Ease Middle-Class Financial Strain and Promote Local Businesses
Last month, several Sangh Parivar-affiliated groups, such as Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), presented their proposals to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. These organisations focus on small businesses, trade, labour rights, and education.
The RSS stresses the importance of economic policies that reduce the burden on middle-class families, promote local businesses, and prevent excessive privatisation of public-sector units, alongside necessary reforms, tax collection, and revenue generation. They have consistently voiced concerns about the rising cost of living for the middle class, which forms a significant portion of the economy and is a key voter base for the BJP.
Expectations include tax relief, higher deductions for essential expenses like healthcare and education, and stronger measures to control inflation, according to an RSS functionary. The middle class, with stagnant wages and mounting financial pressures, hopes the budget will offer direct relief to salaried professionals, the self-employed, and aspiring individuals to ensure economic stability.
The SJM and LUB have repeatedly advocated for the protection of local businesses and reducing reliance on multinational corporations. The Sangh Parivar calls for easier credit access, reduced compliance costs, and incentives for domestic manufacturers to support the SME sector, focusing on job creation and indigenous production.
Om Prakash Gupta, national general secretary of LUB, stated, “We have requested more support for small and medium enterprises. We previously suggested tariffs on some Chinese products, like umbrellas and footwear, and urge the government to take additional steps to safeguard local businesses.”
LUB’s statement also includes recommendations to rationalise GST rates for job work, extend amnesty schemes for minor GST lapses, and simplify permission processes for importing essential raw materials.
Ashwini Mahajan, economist and co-convener of SJM, said, “We have proposed PLIs for SMEs, with at least 50% of total PLIs directed to the SME sector. We also seek to promote homegrown industries by reducing dependence on imports and fostering domestic manufacturing.”
SJM has also called for a national manufacturing policy to protect indigenous businesses.
For the RSS and its affiliates, nationalistic education remains a top priority, advocating for a curriculum rooted in Indian history, values, and knowledge systems. ABVP, the RSS student wing, also met with the finance minister and requested greater investment in rural schools, higher education institutions, skill development, and research centres.
Additionally, ABVP has called for tighter oversight of foreign influence in Indian academia, ensuring educational institutions align with nationalist ideals. The Sangh advocates for a single governing body to oversee all educational and training institutions to streamline governance, ensure policy consistency, and prevent ideological dilution in academic and skill development sectors.
