TRADERS TO OPPOSE political parties supporting FDI in retail

Baroda, January 19, 2013: The traders of the country have decided to convert themselves into a vote bank and in the forthcoming elections of various assemblies in year 2013 and Lok Sabha elections in Year 2014, the trading community will stoutly oppose all such political parties who have or will support FDI in Retail even at the polling booth level of 543 parliamentary constituencies, said Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders ( CAIT) today at Baroda while addressing a press conference at the occasion of a daylong meeting of the trade leaders from different districts of Gujarat State.

CAIT National Chairman Mahendra Shah, National Secretary Ramesh Khanna, Gujarat State Unit President Pramod Bhagat and its Convener Jayendra Tanna and the Convener of the meeting Paresh Bhai also attended the press conference.

The trade leaders from Gujarat have decided to join Anti FDI Rally at New Delhi on 7th March, in large numbers.

Khandelwal slammed the UPA government for allowing FDI in Retail Trade of India and said that it is nothing but to mortgage the Indian retail trade at the hands of global retailers. He also mentioned that NDA, Left Front and several other parties have already made clear that if in Lok Sabha elections in 2014, they are voted to power, the current notification of allowing FDI in Retail Trade will be rejected.

He lambasted the UPA Government said since its policy would shatter the Indian economy besides causing unemployment. He warned that Walmart and other retail giants procure about 80,000 different products manufactured by nearly 6,000 Chinese companies at cheaper rates and sell the same in India at higher prices and ultimately the Indian consumer will be hit hard.  He alleged that the country was being pushed into slavery in the name of modernisation.

Khandelwal cast reflections on the integrity of the UPA Government since the facts and figures quoted in support of their decision to allow FDI in retail, the Government has misled the country and he even challenged the government to hold an "open debate" on this issue at any public platform.

CAIT National Secretary Ramesh Khanna said that during the two months Retail Democracy Movement the organisations of different retail stakeholders are holding jointly and severally Sampark Yatra for mass awareness. Programmes such as Chaupal Charcha, a programme to reach out to rural areas, demonstration, dharna, torch procession, FDI effigy burning together with other democratic form of protests all over the country. A unique protest in form of ‘chain of cartoons’ will be adopted to pin point the issue while relevant "Hindi phrases" will be made alive as one of the protest mode. A special working team of computer professionals has been constituted to make optimum use of social media sites like Twitter and facebook to generate public opinion and to align more and more people directly with the cause. The delegations of KFVRM will also meet leaders of all political parties and chief ministers of different states to muster their continued support to its national movement.