TRADERS DECLARE to support trade union Bharat bandh call on Feb 20-21

New Delhi, February 3, 2013: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), apex body of the trading community today at its national core committee held at Vashi in Mumbai resolved  to support the Bharat Bandh call on February 20- 21, given by 11 Central Trade Unions of the Country whereas on the other hand the meeting also declared to observe the February month as “ Retail FDI Agitation Month” across the Country in furtherance of success of the proposed Massive “Save Retail Democracy Rally” on forthcoming March 7 at New Delhi. To align the women power with the agitation against FDI in Retail, the CAIT has declared to form a “CAIT Women Organisation” and constituted a six member women entrepreneurs of the country.  To intensify the agitation , the CAIT has adopted “ Retail FDI Bhagao- Apne Watan Ko Bachao” as the punch line of the agitation and to make mass awareness all over the Country, the CAIT also adopted a ‘agitation song” “ Mat Becho Is Desh Ko Yaaron Duniaya Ke Bazar Main- Apna Fir Bhi Apna Hai Jaisa Bhi Ho Sansar Main.

The meeting was chaired by CAIT National President B. C. Bhartia.

The core committee meeting was attended by 53 senior trade leaders of the Country from leading trade organisations of 21 states and was also attended by more than 100 prominent trade leaders from different Districts of the Maharashtra.

The meeting also bitterly opposed the recently imposed LBT tax by Maharashtra Government and also demanded the Central Government for re-visiting of the Food Safety and Standards Act which is nothing but a carbon copy of the foreign Act.

CAIT National Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal while calling the FDI in Retail as a battle of “Corporate Aristocracy v/s Retail Democracy” informed that senior trade union leader and MP Gurudas Das Gupta on behalf of all 11 Central Trade Unions delivered a request letter to CAIT to join the Bharat Bandh call of the trade unions on February 20-21.

The Committee while considering the request decided to support the Trade Union’s Bharat Bandh call and to decide about the closure of shops on these days a Committee has been constituted to talk to the trade unions and leaders of other retail stakeholders  and will soon take a decision.

The Committee is comprised of CAIT National Chairman Mahendra Shah, CAIT National President B. C. Bhartia, Senior Vice President Brijmohan Aggarwal, Kirti Rana, National Organising Secretary Satish Garg and National Secretary R. P. Khaitan.

Khandelwal further stated that an Organising Committee of Trade Leaders for Save Retail Democracy Rally on March 7, under the Chairmanship of Satish Garg and consisting of CAIT Delhi State President Narender Madan, General Secretary Vijay Pal, Senior leader Adarsh Gupta, Mahesh Bakhai, Secretary, CAIT Maharashtra Chapter, prominent leader from Haryana Ashok Buwaniwala, Sanjay Patwari of Uttar Pradesh Vyapar Mandal, senior leader from Rajasthan Suresh Patodia, Harish Garg from Chandigarh and leading trade leader of MP Ramesh Khandelwal and Radhey Shyam Maheshwari.

Khandelwal further informed that to obtain the strength of women power in India with FDI in Retail agitation the CAIT has constituted “CAIT Women Organisation” headed by Seema Sethi, as its National Convener and a Governing Board comprising of six leading Women Entrepreneurs including Bhagyesh Soni from Gujarat, Rakhi Softa Sharma from New Delhi, Jyoti Kapri from Mumbai, Raksha Bharat Shah from Banglore and Sumitra Aggarwal .

Khandelwal also informed that to generate a mass awareness about FDI in Retail, the CAIT has adopted a “agitation song’ composed by CAIT National Secretary Ramesh Khanna and such agitation song will be forwarded through CD, facebook, You Tube  and by other means to enroll maximum people in the country with the agitation,