Jammu, December 3 (Scoop News) – Stressing on the need of protecting interests of all sections of the society before taking any decision on allowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector, former Chief Minister and patron of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today cautioned the government against taking hasty unilateral decision on this important issue.
“Instead of making it a prestige issue, the government should rather try to evolve consensus by involving all political parties including opposition into dialogue process on this important matter”, Mr Sayeed said while addressing a meeting of senior party workers on Jammu city here today. He further advised the government to look into all pros and cons before taking any decision on FDI in multi-branded retail sector.
While opposing FDI in retail sector, Mr Sayeed argued, "India must develop like Europe and America but we need to pay attention to the ground realities. Poor people, who are dependent on daily wages, shouldn”t loose their means of livelihood by this decision. We need to pay attention to that also."
Mr Sayeed argued that India has its own character as far as economy is concerned so instead of rushing for FDI in retail market, government should consider all such aspects in mind.
“On the one hand we have developed metropolitan cities while on the other hand there are many backward areas where inhabitants are lacking even basic amenities”, he pointed out and added it was result of the huge gap between rich and poor of the country that farmers in some parts of the country are forced to commit suicide. “We should not blindly follow other countries because we have our own unique economic character”, he maintained.
“There are apprehensions that FDI in retail market will instantly kill all small and petty traders and later it will affect farming community in the long run. So government should look into such apprehensions”, he said and advised the government to take opinion of other political parties into considerations on this issue.
“Retail market, which provides maximum employment after agricultures, should not to be opened to big investors as the local traders would not be able to stand the competition”, he argued and warned that small traders would be perished after opening of FDI in retail market and millions of people would be rendered jobless and cause devastating effect on the socio-economic conditions of millions of people.
While pointing towards prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he exhorted his party workers to expose the National Conference led government among the masses because the present coalition regime has failed to keep a check on corruption as this menace has sneaked deep into the administration from top to bottom. He maintained that common masses have been bearing brunt of the prevailing corrupt system as the present regime has failed to keep a check on corruption. He regretted that that instead of taking some steps some concrete step to check corruption this regime has rather institutionalized corruption through its actions.
It was decided in todays meeting that party would intensify its activities in the days to come. Public meetings would be held in all three assembly segments of Jammu city in the month of December which would be addressed by party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Former Minister Rangil Singh, T S Bajwa, Thakur Balbir Singh, Ved Mahajan, Daman Bhasin, Shanti Devi, Bharat Bhushan, Falial Singh, R K Bali, Susheela Jamwal, Hussain Ali Wafa, Abdul Rashid Malik, Rajinder Manhas, Ashiq Hussain, Avtar Singh Khalsa, Surinder Singh, H Singh Raina, Capt Anil Gour, Mohinder Kotwal, Surjeet Kour, H S Sodi, Billowaria, Deepinder Kour, Rafiq Malik, Ashok Jogi, Bharat Mahajan, Puneet Jamwal, Narinder Singh Raina, Som Nath and others present in the meeting.
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