The Trinamool Congress will move a resolution in the next session of Parliament opposing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, senior party leaders said here on Saturday.
The matter was discussed at a meeting the leaders had with party chairperson Mamata Banerjee at the State Secretariat in Kolkata on Saturday.
Speaking to journalists in New Delhi, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav remained non-committal on whether his party would support the Trinamool resolution. “We are against FDI in retail and we will decide our parliamentary strategy against FDI and other recent government decisions only ahead of the winter session.”
Earlier, Mr. Yadav told a news channel that his party itself might bring such a resolution. Asked about his “flip-flop” on the issue, he shot back: “I stick to whatever I say.”
In Kolkata, senior Trinamool leader and former Union Minister Saugata Roy told The Hindu that the party’s stand “opposing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail has been very consistent and it has raised the issue in Parliament several times.” The party opposed the issue in its election manifesto before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the 2011 Assembly elections, he said.
The party also decided to organise protests in the State and in New Delhi.
Ever since the Trinamool announced its decision to withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance government, Ms. Banerjee has been campaigning on the issue by posting comments on her Facebook page.
On Thursday, she posted the statement made by the then Union Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, in the Lok Sabha on December 7, 2011 that a final decision on allowing FDI in multi-brand retail would be taken only after consensus was reached.
Later, she questioned the notification by the UPA government on entry of FDI in retail. “Is it ethical, moral and democratic for a minority government to issue [a] government order forcefully and hurriedly when massive protest against it is taking place across the country?”
Mulayam meets Badal
Mr. Yadav declined to divulge details of his meeting earlier in the day with Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal saying he was the son of his old friend, Prakash Singh Badal. The meeting should not be seen as a move towards formation of a Third Front, he added.
Keywords: Trinamool Congress, UPA, FDI in retail
FDI is the need of the hour. Our country needs investment. The government is not in a position to make huge investments because of our declining exports and slowdown in manufacturing sector.
The highly subsidised oil isn't helping the exchequer. People don't understand that India imports most of its oil and with the weakening rupee, the economic burden has increased.
Why is that a simple fact like this doesn't enter our minds ?
The TMC has taken this step in view of the Panchayat elections in West Bengal. She is only playing politics of power. She doesn't want to give any new agenda to CPM before panchayat elections.
As for BJP, they would do the same if they were in power. BJP is behaving in a childish manner because they need attention and are running out of issues.
The Left parties have no idea about the Indian economy.
They are given to mental inertia. Its time they learnt from their Chinese counterparts.
In conclusion, I support my prime-minister fully.
It takes a valiant Mamta Banerjee to stand up and speak. She has consistently and vehemently opposed the FDI in to retail outlets. Retail business is the most primary source of business in any society and if we allow foreign participation in that area then we are actually playing with fire as every 'galli' and 'mohalla' will be managed and subject to manipulation by the multi-billion dollar branded outlets. Economic sovereignty will be under severe threat. Why are we forgetting the 'principles' of swadeshi? Though we adore our father of the nation but his concept of self reliance and shunning of foreign money has been easily given a miss...God knows why? Who will take the profit of such an enterprise? How much will be the profit? And have we anyways calculated the food wastages big companies do when they process and compared to losses that our small traders do? Why are the safeguards not talked of before the implementation of policies...Whom are we making happy?
Those politicians who oppose FDI in retail must come up with an
alternative to tackle high inflation. Without FDI investments in retail
supply chain How else can farmers and consumers benefit? Present set up
leaves much to be desired.
UPA2 had only one "man" in its cabinet "Mamata Banerjee". She unleashed the "animal spirit". Three cheers to Mamata for standing with the common man.
FDI should not be allowed in retail industry that is the big box stores emerging from US and Europe. The policy of these stores will not help Indian industrial sector. They are the one which destroyed US consumer industry base and they will play on the same principles in India too. They buy cheapest from any where in the world in order to keep a high profit ratio. They also indulge in lot of under and over invoicing and will cause a lot of problem for the tax man to trace their pricing irregularities. By the eighties, the Western retail conglomerates had amassed so much of ill gotten tax free wealth in Hongkong through over and under invoicing that about a hundred law and accounting firms took emerged to manage that wealth. The consumer never got a break either in term of price or quality of the products.
Supporting or opposing 51% FDI in multi-brand retail can be a different
thing but there is no doubt that Mamta and TMC are very much consistent
in their stand on important national issues unlike Samajwadi party who
always think of getting advantage of any political situation.
Congress has successfully achieved avoiding the talk of corruption once again by introducing a whole new problem - FDI. Age old strategy that works like a charm. Looks like people can only deal with one pressing issue at any given time.
Very good move from Trinamul Congress.
Parties like DMK and SP, which pretend that they oppose 51% investment in FDI will now be exposed.
Let's see which way these parties are going to vote.
The proposal to move a Resolution in the forthcoming session of
Parliament on the FDI Retail issue by the Triamool Congress is a wise
step and all opposition parties irrespective of their differences
should unanimously support the Resolution and save millions of petty
traders, hawkers etc who will be deprived of their livelihood by this
Draconian measure. This is a national problem which should be fought
vigorously so as to force the Government to withdraw this proposal.
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