New Delhi:
Inspite the Opposition pressure, the government is holding firm on its decision to allow 51 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector. Speaking to NDTV, Trade and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma has said that FDI in multi-brand retail will not only help farmers, but also create jobs.
"It's conviction and understanding that what we are doing is keeping in mind the larger public good. And the interests, specifically, of the Indian farmers, consumers and young people who stand to benefit gainfully with the generation of millions of jobs and creation of infrastructure," Mr Sharma said.
"The government cannot be frozen because of criticism and opposition. The governments have to do what they are expected to. We are committed to the process of reforms and liberalisation. There was criticism in 1991, look where it has taken India," the minister added.
If the government's decision gets Parliament's nod, major global players like Walmart will set shop in India. The long-awaited decision by the Cabinet will allow retailers who sell multiple brands of products to own 51 per cent of their Indian operations, with the rest held by an Indian partner. Previously, such retailers were not allowed to conduct retail business in the country.
Mr Sharma's comments come in the wake of the BJP slamming the decision. "Allowing FDI in retail is a lopsided decision. Walmart is not the solution to our economic problems. Walmart and Carrefour cannot be an economic model for us... Why do you (UPA government) want to bring a US ailment here?" BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said.
One of the party's mercurial leaders, Uma Bharti, even threatened to set on fire Walmart store wherever it opens in the country. "By giving permission to Walmart to directly invest in the retail sector, the Centre has jeopardised the employment opportunities of Dalits, poor and backwards. I would personally set afire the showroom when it opens anywhere in the country and I am ready to be arrested for the act," she said.
The party also created an uproar in Parliament and is mulling to bring an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha on the issue on Monday.
The BJP will also hold protests at all the district headquarters in Uttar Pradesh.
And it's not just the Opposition, one of the key UPA allies, the Trinamool Congress, is also against FDI in retail.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) too has opposed the Centre's decision to allow FDI in retail saying it will destroy the home retailers of the country.
"LJP has always opposed FDI... we opposed it even when I was a member in the Union Cabinet... it will destroy home retailers in the country," party chief Ramvilas Paswan said.
The government, however, seems determined to strongly push its reform agenda through even at the risk of antagonising its allies and facing a hostile Parliament.
"Doubting Thomases must see the FDI experience in other countries and that the critics will be silenced by the benefits that the policy will bring," Mr Sharma said.
This is only the second instance of assertiveness by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the nuclear deal, perhaps an indication of the sense of urgency in his government to shed the damaging image of policy paralysis.
"It's conviction and understanding that what we are doing is keeping in mind the larger public good. And the interests, specifically, of the Indian farmers, consumers and young people who stand to benefit gainfully with the generation of millions of jobs and creation of infrastructure," Mr Sharma said.
"The government cannot be frozen because of criticism and opposition. The governments have to do what they are expected to. We are committed to the process of reforms and liberalisation. There was criticism in 1991, look where it has taken India," the minister added.
If the government's decision gets Parliament's nod, major global players like Walmart will set shop in India. The long-awaited decision by the Cabinet will allow retailers who sell multiple brands of products to own 51 per cent of their Indian operations, with the rest held by an Indian partner. Previously, such retailers were not allowed to conduct retail business in the country.
Mr Sharma's comments come in the wake of the BJP slamming the decision. "Allowing FDI in retail is a lopsided decision. Walmart is not the solution to our economic problems. Walmart and Carrefour cannot be an economic model for us... Why do you (UPA government) want to bring a US ailment here?" BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said.
One of the party's mercurial leaders, Uma Bharti, even threatened to set on fire Walmart store wherever it opens in the country. "By giving permission to Walmart to directly invest in the retail sector, the Centre has jeopardised the employment opportunities of Dalits, poor and backwards. I would personally set afire the showroom when it opens anywhere in the country and I am ready to be arrested for the act," she said.
The party also created an uproar in Parliament and is mulling to bring an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha on the issue on Monday.
The BJP will also hold protests at all the district headquarters in Uttar Pradesh.
And it's not just the Opposition, one of the key UPA allies, the Trinamool Congress, is also against FDI in retail.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) too has opposed the Centre's decision to allow FDI in retail saying it will destroy the home retailers of the country.
"LJP has always opposed FDI... we opposed it even when I was a member in the Union Cabinet... it will destroy home retailers in the country," party chief Ramvilas Paswan said.
The government, however, seems determined to strongly push its reform agenda through even at the risk of antagonising its allies and facing a hostile Parliament.
"Doubting Thomases must see the FDI experience in other countries and that the critics will be silenced by the benefits that the policy will bring," Mr Sharma said.
This is only the second instance of assertiveness by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the nuclear deal, perhaps an indication of the sense of urgency in his government to shed the damaging image of policy paralysis.
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