Bold decision: RSS affiliate on move to not join RCEP

The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) welcomed on Monday the government's decision of not signing the China-backed mega Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and hailed it as a bold decision.

SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said staying away from the RCEP is a decision in favour of the country's small businesses, farmers, dairy, data security and the manufacturing sector.

"We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the bold decision of not entering the agreement on RCEP," the SJM said in a statement.

PM Modi showed great diplomatic farsightedness in terming the present text of the negotiations not in favour of the people of India, it said.

The SJM believes that the RCEP would have undone various good works done by the NDA government under Modi in the last six months, Mahajan said.

The agreement would have killed the 'Make In India', 'Digital India', 'Skill India' and various other avenues of job creation, the Sangh's economic wing said.

It further said after coming out of the RCEP negotiations, we request the government to review the faulty Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and CEPA done with Japan, South Korea, and other countries.

After years of negotiations, India pulled out of the RCEP over unresolved "core concerns", with the prime minister saying the proposed deal would have adverse impact on the lives and livelihoods of all Indians.

Modi conveyed India's decision not to join the RCEP deal at a summit meeting of the 16-nation bloc, effectively wrecking its aim to create the world's largest free trade area having half of the global population