Actually...no. You are completely wrong on that.
With the Tejas, there is nothing comparable in its development to the involvement that China has had with the JF-17. Nothing whatsever.
It is true it is using a GE engine...but many aircraft wholly developed by other nations have GE engines, or Rolls Royce, or others. This does not mean that GE or Rolls Royce designed the aircraft, or had a strong hand in its design.
It was originally initiated based on recommendations from
back in the 1970s I believe. Then, in 1984 the Indian government created and tasked their own
to oversee the development. As the design matured, Dassault did assist in an advisory role only, but that pretty much ended by 1988.
The Indian government set up a specific team from the National Aeronautics Laboratory to design the aircrafts fly-by-wire system in 1992. Not the US or Russia.
HAL's Hyderabad division lead the indigenous Multi-Mode Radar development starting in in 1997.
Because these and other components were basically being scratch started, they had a lot of problems and set backs. It was not until 2005 that the first order for 20 aircraft was actually placed.
Then, in April 2007, the first prototype flew.
By 2008, India indicated that 70% of the components for the aircraft were being manufactured in India, and the dependence on imported components was planned to be progressively reduced. And they have continued to try and do that.
As stated, India had to start a lot of the industries to make their own aircraft from scratch. That fact, and the troubles they have had getting them all to work is why the LCA/Tejas has taken so long.
So, you see, the Tejas is an Indian project, it has had very little help from the US (heck, it has only been in the last few years that the Indian military market has really opened up to US), nor from Russia at all...and they have meant it that way.
They know if they are going to get to a point where they can design, build and produce their own aircraft, and then maintain them...they have to go through the pain.
It's just taking longer than they expected...but I give them credit for sticking with it.
In the meant time they have made good choices on foreign purchases with the SU-30s and the Mig-29Ks. It will be a long time before they reach that stage of development...but the Tejas/LCA is a good start.