The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagaran Manch on Wednesday urged the government to impose economic sanctions on Turkey, suspend direct flights to the country, discourage outbound tourism and re-evaluate diplomatic links, condemning the “secular republic’s” military support to “Islamist” Pakistan.
Pakistan had unleashed swarms of Turkish drones to target India’s key defence installations during the four-day military confrontation between the neighbours. India said most of the drones were neutralised.
The Manch, the RSS’s economic wing, said it was “shocking” that Turkey, a “supposed secular republic”, had increasingly aligned itself with radical Islamist regimes and emerged as the second-largest arms supplier to Pakistan after China.
“The Swadeshi Jagran Manch strongly condemns this unholy alliance that directly compromises Bharat’s national security. This defence collaboration is not just commercial; it is ideological, targeting the stability of South Asia and emboldening Pakistan’s military adventurism,” national co-convener of the Manch, Ashwani Mahajan, said in a statement and went on to suggest a set of five pushbacks against Turkey.
“Impose Economic Sanctions: Restrict non-essential imports from Turkey and impose higher duties on key Turkish commodities such as marble, chemicals and machinery,” Mahajan said. The second recommendation was to “temporarily suspend direct flights to Turkey and revoke aviation codeshare privileges until it halts defence supplies to Pakistan”.
The Manch urged the government to “issue a travel advisory to Indian citizens against visiting Turkey (and) withdraw tourism promotion cooperation”. It also called for a revaluation of diplomatic engagements with Turkey by reducing the level of diplomatic and cultural exchanges with the country and reassessing all bilateral agreements.
“The SJM reiterates that the people of Bharat must boycott nations actively helping Pakistan build its offensive capabilities. The principle of ‘Nation First’ must guide our trade, investment and diplomatic relationships,” the statement said.
The RSS-affiliate also urged “patriotic citizens to boycott Turkish products, travel, and cultural exports as a mark of solidarity with our soldiers and in national interest”.
Recalling India’s “timely and generous assistance” to Turkey when it faced a devastating earthquake in February 2023, the statement said it was unfortunate that the country had not even condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam.
“Despite these gestures of solidarity and goodwill, Turkey has chosen to side with Bharat’s adversaries in matters of vital national security interest. This betrayal of trust must be addressed with moral clarity and strategic firmness,” Mahajan said.
He said India contributed significantly to Turkey’s tourism revenue, claiming that in 2024-25, nearly 4 lakh Indian tourists visited Turkey. “Let us choose self-reliance over strategic dependence on nations that empower our adversaries,” he said.
Impact on trade, travel
Apart from Turkey, India’s trade relations with Azerbaijan are expected to come under strain over their backing of Islamabad and condemnation of India’s strikes on terror camps in Pakistan.
Calls for boycotting Turkish goods and tourism have been raised across the country, with online travel platforms such as EaseMyTrip and Ixigo issuing advisories against visiting these nations. MakeMyTrip on Wednesday said it had witnessed a decline in bookings to the two nations by 60 per cent in the last one week while cancellations had jumped 250 per cent.
Indian traders, too, have started boycotting Turkish products such as apples and marble.
India’s exports to Turkey stood at $5.2 billion during April-February 2024-25 against $6.65 billion in 2023-24. India’s exports to Azerbaijan was $86.07 million during April-February 2024-25 against $89.67 million in 2023-24.
India’s imports from Turkey stood at $2.84 billion during April-February 2024-25 against $3.78 billion in 2023-24. Imports from Azerbaijan were $1.93 million during April-February 2024-25 against $0.74 million in 2023-24.