Bikash
Choudhury
Apropos
“A Strong Walmart Week” by eminent jurist Sri Ram Jethmalani who has earned his
reputation for his no holds barred articulation of his choice and for being an
amusing and at times very entertaining ‘Devils Advocate’ apart from being an
unparallel legal mind on criminal jurisprudence in this country. However, Ram
has erred this time on his judgment to please the gallery for a change as his
arguments lack conviction and neither could stand the scrutiny of law in the court
nor in the court of people. I guess, BJP and Ram have found their “Kalidash”
moments. My first question would be; if the FDI in Retail would be the first
and last money laundering operation in the country that the author knows? All
other transaction happening in the country in the central Govt. and in the
State Govt. ruled by BJP is all above board? Can BJP disclose the source of all
funds (Rs.554 crore) received? The second thing is that the author (Ram) has
confused himself with Walmart and FDI in Retail; as the Leader of Opposition in
both the houses; for the record, Walmart may be one of the largest retailers in
this World but, FDI Retail Policy stands for all Retailers all across the World
who has interest in India .
Walmart must be thanking its luck for all the free publicity that the company
received, courtesy the author and the BJP in Parliament and even outside. The
authors concern about predatory pricing is far from truth in this globalised
and web driven and knowledge powered world where predatory pricing could scare
away both the suppliers and customers. By the way, I would like to ask the
author which car he drives in to his chambers. In a black or white Ambassador
of 1970 vintage? In spite of all the Global players in the passenger car business
in India ; how
the indigenous car makers like TATA Motors and Mahindra are doing a flourishing
business? The fact of the matter is if you are convinced about your end goal;
you can argue the case in either ways also and more so for the lawyers and law
makers as they are trained and paid to do the job. Therefore, the arguments
proffered by the author are all politically motivated and not with economic
rational. I agree that FDI in retail is no panacea for all the ills in our
Agriculture or Agri and Agro supply chain; but, it certainly would bring an
incremental change in highly inefficient and politically loaded Agriculture and
Retail sector in the country by the advent of competition. Some one has said
before “competition brings in the best in the people and organizations also” A
controlled simulation study would have proved beyond reasonable doubt that in
fact, attracting FDI is not all that bad even in sensitive retail sector as the
author argues so passionately. At the end, I would like to say BJP is actually
cutting its own leg (Kalidasha moment) by following a negative agenda;
while, all available indication were that it may do well in the next general
election. And, in contrast INC led UPA II Govt., we have to concede, following
a bold and a very positive agenda to retain power the third time in a row.
Twitter: @ideasofhope Blog: www.ideasofhopebikash.blogspot.com
E-mail:streben.market@gmail.com
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