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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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
