Nation-wide traders strike against Flipkart-Walmart deal
New Delhi, Sep 28: Amid a nation-wide traders' strike on Friday called by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the organisation submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In response to the call for a "Bharat Trade Bandh" against the Walmart-Flipkart deal and foreign direct investment in retail, the commercial markets across the country were closed on Friday, a CAIT statement said.
The traders body submitted the memorandum and a Traders Charter to Modi urging for his intervention to stop the deal as it violates FDI Policy Press Note Number 3 of 2016 of the government, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said in a statement.
It urged Modi to constitute a high level committee under the chairmanship of a senior Union Minister and comprising officials and trade representatives to look into the matter.
On Friday around seven crore business establishments and more than 40,000 trade associations and federations across the nation participated in the one-day strike, the traders' organisation said.
Traders across the country held "dharna", demonstrations and protest marches and later submitted similar memorandum as given to the Prime Minister to their respective District Collectors, CAIT said.
The CAIT also regretted that retail trade has never been a priority although after agriculture, it is the largest employment provider and largest source of revenue for the government.
"Such a stepmotherly treatment to the traders must come to an end," the statement said.
On August 28, the Confederation had approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the Competition Commission of India (CCI)'s approval for the Walmart-Flipkart deal.
Consequently, NCLAT issued a notice to Walmart, enquiring about its business model.
In August, Walmart Inc acquired approximately 77 per cent stake in e-commerce major Flipkart.
Walmart now holds approximately 77 per cent of Flipkart, while the remainder of the business is held by other shareholders, including Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Tencent, Tiger Global and Microsoft Corp.
The global retail giant's investment includes $2 billion of new equity funding to help accelerate the growth of Flipkart's business. Both companies will retain their unique brands and operating structures in India, the statement said.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
