Traders formulate strategy to protest against FDI in retail
29 Sept 2012 6:47 AM IST
A super-fast men’s internatio Traders body Confederation of All India Traders [CAIT] has said it will start a three-month long protest from October against implementation of FDI in multi-brand retail.
‘To begin with, a large number of traders across the country will meet MLAs and MPs, between 1-15 October, to garner their support for the roll back of the Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] in multi-brand retail,’ CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said. Trade leaders of various states met here yesterday and decided to intensify their agitation nationwide to protest against the government’s move, CAIT said.
It was also decided to rope in organisations of farmers, hawkers, trade unions, transporters and other stakeholders to give a wide shape to the agitation, it added.
In the next three months, traders would also make representations to chief ministers of their respective states, he added.
CAIT said as part of its strategy, the trade associations in different states would observe the day of Gandhi Jayanti [2 October] as ‘Sadbudhhi Day’ [wisdom day].
On 23 October, a day before Dussehra, the traders will burn the FDI demon, it said. The month of November will be observed as the ‘national mass awakening month’ during which the the traders would stage demonstrations and hold rallies, Khandelwal said.
Besides, he said, seminars, workshops and conferences would be held to apprise people as to how MNCs will prove detrimental to the country’s economy and retail trade. On 3 December last year, the government had put on hold the decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail due to political opposition, including from UPA constituent Trinamool Congress.
However on 14 September this year, the Cabinet has decided to operationalise 51 per cent FDI in the sector but left it to the state governments to allow setting up of such stores.
To protest against the move, lakhs of traders had participated in the Bharat Bandh by shutting their shops on 20 September, it said. The CAIT claims that it has a membership of 5 crore traders across the country.
‘To begin with, a large number of traders across the country will meet MLAs and MPs, between 1-15 October, to garner their support for the roll back of the Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] in multi-brand retail,’ CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said. Trade leaders of various states met here yesterday and decided to intensify their agitation nationwide to protest against the government’s move, CAIT said.
It was also decided to rope in organisations of farmers, hawkers, trade unions, transporters and other stakeholders to give a wide shape to the agitation, it added.
In the next three months, traders would also make representations to chief ministers of their respective states, he added.
CAIT said as part of its strategy, the trade associations in different states would observe the day of Gandhi Jayanti [2 October] as ‘Sadbudhhi Day’ [wisdom day].
On 23 October, a day before Dussehra, the traders will burn the FDI demon, it said. The month of November will be observed as the ‘national mass awakening month’ during which the the traders would stage demonstrations and hold rallies, Khandelwal said.
Besides, he said, seminars, workshops and conferences would be held to apprise people as to how MNCs will prove detrimental to the country’s economy and retail trade. On 3 December last year, the government had put on hold the decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail due to political opposition, including from UPA constituent Trinamool Congress.
However on 14 September this year, the Cabinet has decided to operationalise 51 per cent FDI in the sector but left it to the state governments to allow setting up of such stores.
To protest against the move, lakhs of traders had participated in the Bharat Bandh by shutting their shops on 20 September, it said. The CAIT claims that it has a membership of 5 crore traders across the country.
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