Economic nationalism refers to the development of a national economic consciousness that emphasizes the protection, promotion, and advancement of a country's economic interests. In the context of the Indian National Movement, economic nationalism emerged as a response to British colonial exploitation and became one of the earliest ideological foundations of the struggle for independence. It sought to expose the adverse effects of colonial economic policies, encourage indigenous industries, reduce dependence on foreign goods, and promote self-reliance. The early Indian nationalists believed that political freedom could not be achieved without economic strength and that colonial rule was responsible for India's widespread poverty, unemployment, and industrial decline. The origins of economic nationalism in India can be traced to the second half of the nineteenth century when educated Indians began to study the economic impact of British rule scientifically. They challenged the British claim that colonial rule had brought prosperity and modernization to India. Instead, they argued that British economic policies systematically impoverished the country by exploiting its resources, destroying traditional industries, and draining wealth to Britain. This economic critique became an essential component of the nationalist movement and helped unite different sections of Indian society. The earliest proponents of economic nationalism included Dadabhai Naoroji, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Romesh Chunder Dutt, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, G. V. Joshi, and G. Subramania Iyer. Their writings, speeches, and economic analyses laid the intellectual foundation for Indian nationalism. Dadabhai Naoroji is regarded as the father of Indian economic nationalism. His most significant contribution was the Drain Theory, which explained how wealth was continuously transferred from India to Britain without any adequate economic return. According to Naoroji, India was becoming poorer because a substantial portion of its resources was exported to Britain through various channels such as salaries of British officials, pensions, profits of British companies, interest on public debt, military expenditure outside India, and remittances by British employees. He argued that this "unrequited export" represented a constant drain of India's wealth. Naoroji presented statistical evidence to demonstrate that India's poverty was directly linked to colonial exploitation. His famous work, *Poverty and Un-British Rule in India* (1901), systematically analyzed the economic condition of India and criticized British administration for violating the principles of justice and fairness. He believed that Indianization of public services, reduction in military expenditure, encouragement of local industries, and representative institutions would reduce the drain of wealth. His economic arguments gained recognition both in India and Britain and inspired later nationalist leaders. Mahadev Govind Ranade made another significant contribution to economic nationalism through his emphasis on industrial development and balanced economic progress. Ranade believed that India's backwardness resulted not only from colonial exploitation but also from inadequate industrialization and lack of modern economic institutions. He advocated state support for industrial development, expansion of banking facilities, irrigation projects, transportation infrastructure, technical education, and agricultural improvements. Ranade rejected the