New Delhi, April 5, 2014: The business community of the Country is keenly awaiting release of BJP poll manifesto which is scheduled to be released on April 7, as per available reports. The issue of allowing FDI in Retail is very important for the trading community as far as the polls are concerned and needs to be seen as to how the BJP has taken this issue in its poll manifesto. The CPI, CPM and various other parties have already declared their vocal opposition to FDI in Retail in their respective election manifesto. It is recalled that BJP leadership has categorically said that if it voted to power in 2014, it will scrap the current notification of FDI in Retail issued by the UPA Government. Not enough, the BJP played a key role along with other political parties in and outside the Parliament for opposing FDI in Retail during trader's nationwide agitation led by their apex body, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
CAIT National President B. C. Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that undoubtedly, the FDI in Retail is one of the major poll issues from the perspective of traders. The traders have already pledged to voted out all such parties who are supporting FDI in Retail and it is in this context, we are awaiting BJP poll manifesto and after that we intend to release a comparative chart of traders issues as spelled out in poll manifesto of different political parties and shall be advising Trade Associations of different states to educate the traders in their respective areas to vote on deciding lines. The CAIT has already forwarded its Traders National Charter to all political parties in which "no to FDI in Retail" is one of the most important demand.
There are about 6 crore traders in unorganised sector which is termed by CAIT as self organised sector which provides employment to about 25 crore people in the Country having an annual turnover of over Rs.20 lakh crores of rupees. The sector is contributing nearly 15% to national GDP and is second largest sector after Agriculture which provides employment.