Why did Indians boycott British goods during the Swadeshi Movement?

During the Swadeshi Movement, Indians boycotted British goods as a form of passive resistance against the exploitative economic policies of the British raj.2

For decades, colonial rule had impoverished India by reducing the country to a mere supplier of raw materials for England and a captive market for imported finished products. This economic drain, characterized by ruinous taxation and the depletion of domestic resources, was a primary source of national grievance.1

By boycotting British products, the movement aimed to achieve self-sufficiency (swadeshi) and weaken the economic foundations of colonial power. This strategy was also a direct response to the partition of Bengal in 1905, which many Indians viewed as a deliberate attempt by the British to foster religious divisions and undermine the growing nationalist sentiment. Ultimately, the boycott served as a tool to synthesize economic critique with the political objective of challenging imperialist control.231