RETAIL STAKEHOLDERS TO OBSERVE 12TH DECEMBER 

AS COUNTRYWIDE 'SANKALP DIVAS' 

Slogan 150 plus 30  v/s Crore 120 will be the carrier of future protest activities

 

The retail stakeholders of the Country will observe forthcoming 12th December as " Sankalp Divas" across the Country to take pledge to continue their nationwide movement against FDI in Retail trade under the umbrella of " Khudra FDI Virodhi Rashtriya Morcha".(KFVRM) The farmers, traders,labourers,hawkers,transporters,consumers, SMEs, self employed groups and other sectors of retail trade will assemble at Gandhi statute in their respective cities and will take a pledge to continue the national movement till next Lok Sabha elections in 2014. Mr. B. C. Bhartia, National President and Mr. Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in a joint statement released here today said that the KFVRM has also appealed to all those political parties who have opposed FDI in Retail in Parliament to extend their support and join the protestors in their respective States, in a communication sent to Heads and prominent leaders of all such political parties.

The chain of such "Pledge Ceremony" will be led by a similar function at Rajghat, the Samadhi of Mahatama Gandhi in which leading politicians of different parties, scholars, economists, retail experts and other distinguished persons will join the pledge ceremony.To maintain the dignity of such a pledge a dummy of Mahatama Gandhi will recite the pledge followed by the people of different sections.

Both Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal informed that a two days national convention of prominent trade leaders of different states has been convened by CAIT on forthcoming 16th and 17th December at Jaipur to take stock of the situation and to draw future plan of action.

They further said that now this movement will begin with a slogan "150 plus 30 v/s Crore 120". Spelling out the slogan they said that it is fight between 150 domestic corporate houses plus 30 MNCs v/s 120 crore people of the Country and its final verdict will come out from the ballot boxes of Lok Sabha elections in 2014. All those political parties who inspite of knowing the political manipulations of UPA, have supported the FDI in Retail, a pledge campaign will be launched across the Country for obtaining signatures from the people with a clear motto of not to vote for such ;parties. The manner in which the FDI is allowed by ignoring the ground realties of retaail trade and lofting wrong figures and facts by the Govt, a challange has been posed for the livelihood of crores of people in the Country. " We accept the challange and since this issue has been politicised by the Government, it will be replied properly with political ansawers.

Shri Naresh Sirohi, General Secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Morcha said that streaneous efforts are being made with farmer leaders in different states to ensure their maximum particiption in Sankalp function whereas on the other hand Mr. Saudan Singh of National Hawkers Federation has geared up team of hawkers to turn out in numbers in such programmes. The leaders of transport sector Mr. Pradeep Singhal, Shri Ashutosh & Shri Rajender Kapoor said that FDI in Retail Trade will adversaly affect the transport sector and as such intensive efforts are being made to include transporters in large numbers in pledge ceremony. The convenors of Laghu Udhyog Morcha, Shri Ved Prakash Gupta, Shri Ravindra Bansal and Shri M. L. Dhawan said that the notification of the Govt has wrecked the backbome of small industries whereas the prominent leader of Consumers movement in the Country Mr. Bejon Mishra said that the ultimate crackdown of FDI in Retail will be faced by consumers who will be forced to bow down against monopolistic prices of the global retailers.

KFVRM national coordinator Shri Pradeep Sharma and National Organiser Shri Satish Garg informed that on forthcoming 1st January,2013 a national convention leaders of nationwide organisations of farmers, hawkers,traders,consumers, SMEs, cooperative sector, self employed groups and other sections of retail sector will join the convention. They also informed that prominent leaders of all those 14 political parties who have opposed FDI in Retail in Parliament will be invited to join the pledge ceremony

The Delhi State CAIT President Mr. Narender Madan, National Secretary Shri Ramesh Khanna and Delhi State General Secretary Shri Vijay Pal said that hectic preparations have begin to make pledge ceremony at Rajghat on 12th December,2012 a successful event and all leading trade associations of Delhi will participate in the pledge function.