New Delhi:
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address public rallies to explain the issue of FDI in retail, the Congress announced today. Speaking at Delhi state Congress function, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said, "There are going to be rallies where the PM and Sonia Gandhi are going to explain the benefits (of FDI in retail)".
The first rally will be held at Delhi's Ramlila ground on October 28, which is likely to address by the PM and Mrs Gandhi. This decision was taken at a Congress Working Committee meeting on September 25.
Also speaking at the DPCC function, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma defended the FDI in retail, saying that people thought multi-national fast-food giants like Dominos and McDonald's will kill Indian brands, but "they have reached London, nothing happened to them". He also stressed that the BJP didn't have the farmers' interests on their mind in opposing FDI in retail, which he claimed will benefits them. He also said the BJP had "double standards" as it has supported 100 per cent FDI in retail.
Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit, also present at the interaction, said, "Delhi wants FDI in retail. You can be our enemies but I request our opposition to not be the enemies of the country, the people of this country. The Congress is the only party which has taken a tough decision like this but we know that the benefits will be immense."
The interaction was organised on a day that Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to address a Trinamool rally against FDI in Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Though Ms Dikshit dimissed this is a coincidence, Mr Sharma referred specifically to West Bengal, saying that small shops there also act as retailers for giants like Reliance. "This is an effort to scare people needlessly," the union commerce minister said.
Ms Banerjee had withdrawn support to the Centre over reform measures announced by the PM last month. The measures include introduction of FDI in retail, increasing the price of diesel and a cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinder for every household.