A two-line post on X by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw last month was enough to put Sridhar Vembu's Zoho back in the spotlight. Since then, several ministers have gone on to endorse the desi tech company and its software products , coming amid a 'swadeshi' push fuelled by rising US tariff tensions. However, fault-finding against Zoho has already begun as it tries to challenge entrenched giants like Microsoft, Meta and Google.

It is here that the role of the government becomes crucial in strengthening its own desi tech force like China and the US have done. In the past, platforms like Bharti Airtel's Hike and Twitter clone Koo initially gained immense popularity in India before shutting shop.

Has the government learnt its lessons from history? With Zoho, the government seems to h

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