New Delhi:
The traders are now joining the battle against Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. They will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar today, BJP and Left parties are likely to join the protest.
The protest will begin at 11 am, just as Parliament convenes.
After losing the vote last week on whether FDI should be allowed in India, the Opposition had demanded that a parliamentary committee must probe allegations that Wal-Mart lobbied to get access to the country's vast retail sector.
The government said yesterday it was willing to commission such an investigation. "The issue of Wal-Mart lobbying is not a concern only for the opposition but the government as well," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said in Parliament yesterday.
Opposition parties say any inquiry on the issue must have a hard deadline.
The controversy is fomented by a disclosure in the US that Wal-Mart spent Rs 125 crore in the last four years on lobbying for access to different markets, including India.
Last week, the government - with the support of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party - won a vote in Parliament on its decision to allow FDI in retail. The vote was non-binding but tested the ability of the government to help push important legislation and reforms.
Economic experts say FDI in retail will shore up a slowing economy and bring in a fresh infusion of investment, which could also help farmers and small businesses. But opposition parties say the policy will crush small retailers not able to withstand the competition from global giants.