FDI IN RETAIL: Major national campaign to be planned

New Delhi, December 15, 2012: The controversial issue of FDI in Retail will be at the centre stage of two days “National Conference” of trade leaders of the country to be held at Jaipur on December 16-17, to decide the strategy of their aggressive national movement against FDI in Retail and role of the different political parties for and against the issue.

The meet is being held under the umbrella of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), an apex body of trading community of the country.

More than 100 trade leaders from different states shall be participating in the conference, said B. C. Bhartia, National President, CAIT and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal in a joint press statement released here today.

The meet will also finalise the strategy to convert the trading community across the country in a vote bank to play a decisive role in forthcoming assembly elections in 2013 and Lok Sabha Polls in 2014.

The traders leaders are also likely to rake up recent Wallmart Lobbying disclosure report episode and adopting aggressive tactics to highlight the business module of MNCs across the country. More than 5 crore business enterprises are carrying their trade in unorganised sector of the country.

Both Bhartia and Khandelwal said that trade leaders of leading trade organisations of different states shall be participating in the conference. They further told that leaders of credible organisations of farmers, hawkers, small industries, consumers, transporters, laborers, cooperatives and self employed groups have also been specially invited to the conference beside the research team of CAIT.

CAIT leaders lambasted the government for manufacturing and engineering a 'manipulative majority" in Parliament on a debate held on FDI in Retail and by propagating "opposing and absenting from vote" as a new definition of Indian democracy which amounts to cheating the electorates." There are many issues which goes from Road to Parliament and also several issues which goes from Parliament to Road" and FDI in Retail is such an issue on which the incorrect facts and figures quoted by the government, major deviations in government notification of September 20,2012 providing large extra ordinary benefits to MNCs and 11 questions raised by CAIT will be the major issues of national campaign of trading community.

Both Bhartia and Khandelwal further informed that besides holding discussion on FDI in Retail several important issues like GST, Food Safety and Standards Act, Direct Tax Code, a National Trade Policy for retailers, formation of a separate Ministry of Internal Trade both at Centre and states,  review of laws, acts and rules governing domestic trade by a Commission, status of tax collector to traders, pension to traders attaining the age of 60 years and other issues will be discussed at depth in the two days conference and a strategy will be finalised for future course of action.