India Can’t Risk Losing US Ties, Says Investor; Calls ‘Make in India’ a Flop

Investor and educator Akshat Shrivastava has raised concerns about the long-term impact of rising US tariffs on Indian goods, saying that such policies could seriously hurt India's economic progress if not addressed through strong international partnerships.

In a recent social media post, Shrivastava pointed out that India's per capita GDP remains low globally, with the country still striving to transition from a poor to a middle-income economy. For that journey to succeed, he argued, India cannot afford to distance itself from major global powers like the United States.

“Alienating big economies is the fastest way to kill our growth prospects,” he wrote. “We are not aligned with China, and now the US doesn’t want us. Russia is a closed economy—so even if they support us, it doesn’t move the needle.”

He questioned the popular belief that India can swiftly build everything on its own, saying that if self-reliance were truly easy, the country would have already achieved it. “What have we been waiting for? Harry Potter 10?” he joked, taking aim at the slow progress of domestic industries over the decades.

Shrivastava also expressed concern over India’s manufacturing struggles and recent troubles in the IT sector, including job cuts and slowing growth. “Schemes like Make in India have failed to deliver,” he said. “Today, some Chief Ministers are proudly inaugurating Tesla showrooms, while local manufacturing remains weak.”

In his closing remarks, he stressed that the global economy is changing fast, with artificial intelligence reducing the demand for cheap labour and countries like the US investing heavily in automation and large-scale manufacturing. In this new world, he said, India needs access to US technology and innovation more than the US needs India’s workforce.

“Cheap labour is no longer an advantage,” Shrivastava warned. “To lead the next tech revolution, we need the US tech stack on our side.”

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