Dedications

Once again another opportunity of investment in thwarted under the pretentious claim of protecting jobs. So if Foreign Direct Investment in retailing would affect jobs and small time traders, why was the same yard stick not used for a KFC, McDonald, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, Pepsi or foreign designer clothing? Why not for everything of foreign origin?

If a Wal Mart comes to India, the fear is that they could source produce directly from farmers and sell at lower rates. Can this not be done by Reliance, Tata or a Godrej? Then what happens? Will prices be better for the farmers? Will they not use the same strategy of killing small time traders with cheaper prices, or hoard produce and sell later at higher prices, or they being Indian companies will they be doing charity?

Tatas trying to set up a car manufacturing plant in Singur in Bengal is made to shut shop, and they have to then set it up in Gujarat. So even creating jobs is a problem. Indian IT companies Bangaloring jobs from US and Europe is fine, and it is even finer the workers paid peanuts and the employers rake in millions, but if a foreign company wants to do business in India is bad.

Indian consumer getting products cheap is bad, as jobs and small businesses have to be protected. Why can’t India not compete and need to be always protected? Is it really protection or a government going on its knees to stay in power, as it is bullied by a Mamta Banerjee who can topple it? This was the same Mamta Banerjee who threw Tatas out of Singur, and the same Mamta Banerjee who made a mess of the railways when in power, and was the running the Railway Ministry from Calcutta instead of the Centre in Delhi.

Food price are anyways skyrocketing, is it because MNC’s are in retailing? If a FDI in retailing can bring prices down it is bad. If the fear is that MNCs will hike prices after killing the corner stores, then why not regulate food prices? Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was recently a slap gate victim in Delhi for the rice in food prices. With that what happens, security for politicians is demanded to be increased. At the same time security for food prices is not a concern.

Security for the common man is the least concern when political parties go on a rampage and indulge in vandalism under the pretext of rising prices, or sectarian attacks on people from other state working in another state, for example in Maharashtra. If a common man wants to protest peacefully their protests are attacked like what happened to Baba Ramdeo or permission for a fast denied to Anna Hazare, at the same time political parties need no permission to get on the streets and create mayhem.

So it is not just FDI that is not allowed, but even raising your voice to protest is not allowed. Privatization and globalization is only way out for an economy to improve. Foreign investment is allowed in the stock market, then why not in common market?

Foreign Direct Investment in retailing cannot be worse than the Foreign Direct Intervention by an Italian who is running a government of puppets.