The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has taken a serious note of reports of Amazon reducing its stake in Prion and trying to disassociate itself from Cloudtail. CAIT which has been demanding for tougher scrutiny of e-commerce players said, Amazon’s latest move was a circumvention of new rules.
CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that CAIT would move to Commerce Ministry with a demand to clarify that online retailers should not hold direct, as well as indirect stake, in its vendors. The intention of the policy is being tried to be defeated by Amazon through jugglery of language of which such global e-commerce players are masters.
The CAIT will move to Commerce Ministry and demand that the government should again clarify that stake includes direct or indirect which is the letter and spirit of the policy.
Both Bhartia and Khandelwal said that these companies are known habitual offenders of policy and now also they are trying ways and means to continue their unethical business practices by circumventing the policy to their advantage. CAIT rejects such kind of circumvent of policy and jugglery of language by Amazon and others to defy the policy. Misconstrued conclusions drawn to their own benefit for flouting the norms and policy will not be accepted at all. The CAIT has sent a communication to Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu calling for his immediate intervention into the matter.
If Amazon is allowed to circumvent the policy, soon others will follow the suit making a mockery of the government and its policies. Therefore immediate steps are needed from the government.
The CAIT however said it will first challenge the same in Ministry of Commerce and if situation warranted, it will not hesitate to take legal recourse.