SJM urges PM to step in, halt Walmart India entry

NEW DELHI: RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to ensure there is no Walmart-Flipkart deal, stating that any such deal will kill his ‘Make in India’ dream and hurt farmers and small businessmen. “Walmart is using the ecommerce route to circumvent the rules to attack Indian market” through a backdoor entry into multi-brand retail space, SJM said in its letter to the PM.

Entry of the American retail giant, if it happens, “will eliminate the small and medium businesses, small shops, and opportunity to create more jobs”, it said.

SJM has also raised suspicion on Flipkart’s operations group companies, such as Flipkart India Pvt Ltd and Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd. “It will be very dangerous, if we allow them to raise funds, transfer assets, that too to a company like Walmart,” its letter said. “There have been a series of complaints with DIPP, Enforcement Directorate and RBI of violation of clarifications on FDI rules as stated in DIPP Press Note 3 / 2016, but surprisingly no action has been initiated them.”