Strongly opposing India visit of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, more than 5 lakh traders join hands in strong protests in about 300 cities across Country today on the call of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). Jeff Bezos Go Back, Amazon Go Back slogans greeted Jeff Bezos in these protests against unethical business modules of Amazon. About 5000 trade Associations participated all over the Country. The CAIT lashed out at Mr. Narayanmurthy and Mr. Kishor Biyani for taking sides and support to Amazon.
Now, the CAIT will turn its guns also towards Brand Companies and Banks who have formed an unholy and vicious nexus with Amazon, However, the CAIT has publicly advised Mr. Jeff Bezos to put his house in order and compliant towards every provision of FDI policy both in letter & spirit if he really wants to continue business operations in India and also not to engage in building false and wrong narrative for helping small traders of India.
While commenting on declaration of Jeff Bezos today announcing investment of 1 billion dollar in India, Mr. Bhartia & Mr Khandelwal said that it’s not an investment but promotional finance to Amazon India to crush retail trade and encouraging his team in India to do more predatory pricing and deep discounting and go on in violating FDI policy. Regarding his announcement of 10 billion dollars of exports, Both Mr. Bhartia & Mr Khandelwal said it’s ridiculous. Jeff Bezos wants to build a false and wrong narrative to show that Amazon is pro-small traders.
What Amazon has done to empower 5 lakh retailers already registered on their portal. The answer will be big No. Does any such retailer exist in the top 20 sellers of Amazon in the past 5 years? The answer will be big No. Then on what basis Jeff Bezos is claiming to do exports from India. He also talked about helping in Digitalisation but the question is who has asked his help. The traders are quite capable in India to digitalize themselves under our PM Narendra Modi flagship program of Digital India.
While appreciating the immediate steps taken by Union Commerce Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal when the matter was brought to his knowledge by the CAIT and in view of his repeated public statements that predatory pricing and deep discounting will not be allowed, the CAIT has demanded Mr. Goyal for early rollout of e-commerce policy and a Regulatory Authority to regulate and monitor e-commerce market of India, The CAIT further said that current model of Amazon & Flipkart involving predatory pricing & deep discounting has created distortionary effects by driving out the traders from the market and therefore the Competition Commission of India stands correct in ordering an investigation against Amazon & Flipkart
In series of protest, a large protest was held at Jantar Mantar at New Delhi where hundreds of posters were carrying black flags and raised slogans like ‘Amazon ki Jager Nahin- Ye Hindustan Hamara Hai”, Amazon Follow FDI Policy or leave India” strongly condemn unethical and monopolistic business practices of Amazon in direction of controlling and dominating not only e-commerce but retail trade market of India.
National President of CAIT Mr. BC Bhartia and Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal said that after the CCI ordered an inquiry into the business model of Amazon and Flipkart our fight is now a fight for the survival of crores of traders of the country. The economy of this country has been run by the traders since independence and we will keep running it in the future too.
If any foreign company dreams of occupying the country’s e-commerce or retail business through its unethical methods, then it should come out of confusion. If any company wants to do business in India, it has to follow the FDI policy and laws of the land in letter & spirit otherwise they have to leave India and find the business in any other corner of the world.
Mr. Bhartia & Mr. Khandelwal expressed anguish that people like Mr. Narayan Murthy and Kishore Biyani are colluding with Amazon to destroy the business of small traders of the country by supporting a known offender company Amazon, which will not be tolerated by the traders in any case. Such people who will support companies like Amazon and Flipkart, the traders of the country will be forced to agitate against them too.
These people should remember that Amazon and Flipkart’s parent company Walmart are notorious worldwide for selling goods below cost and offering huge discounts and indulge into other unethical methods and not only in India but in European countries and USA also investigation is going on against them and in many countries, these companies have also been fined.
Mr. Khandelwal charged that Amazon and Flipkart are having a caramelisation with several brand companies and few Banks having a nefarious alliance for destroying domestic retail trade eco system the country. While Amazon and Flipkart sell goods at predatory pricing, deep discounting, controlling inventory, engaged into preferential seller system, having exclusivity, many brand companies are said to be offering products for exclusive sale on portals of Amazon & Flipkart and on the other hand HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and State Bank of India and other Banks are giving 10 percent cash back only on transactions made online through their payment card.
Both Mr. Bhartia & Mr. Khandelwal said that it is the time now for the traders to launch a movement against brand companies and banks as well. Brands that will tie up with e-commerce companies, the traders will be forced to boycott their products and banks that offer cashback to these e-commerce companies, the CAIT will be forced to give a call to traders across country to withdraw their accounts with such Banks and keep accounts with banks that help traders.
He told that the CAIT will bring this role of both Brands and Banks to the knowledge of Competition Commission of India and will urge for inclusion of conduct of Brands and Banks under the purview of investigation ordered by CCI against Amazon and Flipkart.brand since it is an Anti-competitive act of Brands & Banks and is an offence under competition law. The CAIT will soon meet Union Commerce Minister Shri Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Seetharaman regarding the role of brands and banks and will demand action against Brands and Banks. A CAIT delegation will also meet RBI Governor Mr. Shaktikanta Das for the role of Banks and will demand action against them.
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