FDI in Delhi: City govt firm on implementation, BJP opposes

Initiating a short-duration discussion on the issue, Leader of Opposition V K Malhotra said allowing multinational retail giants to open shop in Delhi will badly hit 10 lakh small traders in the city and the government must reconsider its decision.

"Entry of retail giants like Wal-Mart and Tesco will hit the 10 lakh small traders in Delhi who are bread earners of 40 lakh people. It is a anti-people decision of the Congress government which will be reversed if BJP came to power," he said.

The senior BJP leader said Wal-Mart spent Rs 125 crore to lobby for entry into the Indian market which is a case of corruption as lobbying is illegal in India.

A number of BJP legislators also slammed the government for deciding to allow FDI in multi-brand retail in Delhi.

In his reply to the discussion, Delhi Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan said the city government was "firm" on its commitment to implement FDI in Delhi and there was no question of "going back".

He said government was already working on removing hurdles for entry of multinational retail giants into the city. (MORE)