The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday announced a day-long bandh in Delhi on Tuesday in protest against the ongoing sealing drive by the BJP-ruled municipal agencies and the Centre’s move to allow 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail.
Speaking to the media after the party’s Delhi State conference on Sunday, Delhi convener Gopal Rai said the BJP-ruled civic bodies were trying to trample on business opportunities for small traders in the name of sealing business establishments.
“A large sum of money was collected in the name of conversion and parking charges. The traders neither received anything in return nor do they have any information on the money collected,” Mr. Rai said, demanding that the Centre stop levying these charges until information on where the money went is made public.
January 29 protest
“Our cadres in all 70 constituencies will join traders’ unions to raise their voice against these issues on Tuesday,” he said.
The party also announced that its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs and other stakeholders will take part in a march to Parliament on January 29. Mr. Rai slammed the Congress government for initiating 49% FDI in retail, which was followed by the BJP, which spiked it to 100%.
“We are with the traders when their shops are being indiscriminately sealed despite having paid conversion charges. No one from the municipality is willing to hear them out,” he said.
