Shops across India down shutters against retail FDI

An 'all-India bandh' or shut-down of retail trade called in protest against the union government's decision to allow foreign investment in multi-brand retail trade has drawn fairly strong response across the country.

In Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai, around 35 lakh small and medium traders kept their shops shut in response to the bandh.

"We have received good response for the bandh in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai as traders of the [government-run] Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) have joined call to support the one-day bandh. Major markets of grains, fruits and vegetables, and 'kirana' (small groceries) have observed the bandh today," said Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) president Mohan Gurnani.

The protests seemed strongest in Delhi, where most of the markets were shut this morning. The Bharatiya Janata Party organised marches and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in at least 20 locations across the city.

Delhi unit president of the Confederation of All India Traders, Narender Madan, said a large number of traders have kept their shops shut to participate in the bandh. He said wholesale and retail markets were closed in Sadar Bazar, Kamla Nagar, Chawri Bazar, Karol Bagh, Kashmere Gate, Tilak Nagar, Rohini, Krishna Nagar and other markets.

Another CAIT office-bearer said, "Around five crore traders belonging to 10,000 traders' bodies across the country are participating in the bandh. Traders took out marches in commercial markets across the country."