"Never Been Against E-Commerce Firms, Want Them To Follow Rules": Piyush Goyal

A day after lambasting e-commerce players for predatory pricing, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday told NDTV that he is not against online platforms but India wants such entities to be "fair and honest" in their conduct. "Never been against e-commerce, what I am against is the misuse of our e-commerce laws. I recognise the importance of technology in our lives, the convenience it gives, the fact that efficiency will go up. But our kirana stores have been our lifeline for years and years. They don't play the role only of a store, they become part of our ecosystem, our families. Therefore what I have consistently said - of course the media would like to have a headline that I am against ecommerce on Day 1 and Day 2 I soften my stand - I have been trying to figure out in my head when did I soften my stand and when was my stand was hard. To Be fair, what I am only against is the misuse of the law of the land. India deserves to protect and ensure the organised growth of small retail and we welcome all sorts of technologies. There should be a marriage of two ecosystems," Mr Goyal told NDTV.