New Delhi: Left parties have decided to
support the call for a countrywide bandh given by the Confederation of All India Traders on December 1 in protest against government`s decision to allow Foreign Direct Investment in retail trade.
CPI(M) and the CPI have asked all their state units to
support the bandh call.
The union cabinet decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in
multi-brand retail trade has been opposed by all opposition
parties.
"The CPI(M) Polit Bureau has already given a call to all
its units to organise protest actions against this anti-people
step and to defend the crores of small retailers and their
families whose livelihood is under threat," the party said in
a statement.
CPI also expressed full solidarity with the bandh call
and asked its state units to render all possible support to
make the bandh a success, the party said in a statement.
The parties said all arguments about providing cheaper
goods to consumers, better prices to agricultural producers,
about preventing wastage, controlling inflation, building
backend infrastructure and creating employment have been shown
up to be "utterly false".
Terming the decision as classic example of allowing MNCs
like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and others to make "super profits at
the cost of the Indian people", they said the retail trade
chain in India provides employment to nearly 4.5 crores and
with their family members it provides livelihood to no less
than 20 crores people.
They said South East Asian countries had to impose
stringent zoning and licensing regulations in order to
restrict the growth of supermarkets after small retailers had
started getting displaced.
PTI
