BJP senior leader and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday warned the Congress-led UPA government that if it did not withdraw its decision on allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector, the NDA would derail the winter session of Parliament, which is scheduled to start from Nov. 22.
He said that BJP-led NDA would fight tooth and nail against FDI because it would throw crores of people out of employment.
Joshi, speaking at a workshop on the impact of FDI organised by the BJP’s trade cell, said retail was second only to agriculture in providing employment to India’s millions and this situation would be dangerous to tamper with.
“In the last several years, due to the UPA’s decisions, radical changes have taken place in the food habits of Indians, which have not helped the Indian economy in any way,” Joshi said.
The senior leader opined that opening up the floodgates to FDI would make India totally dependent on the US.
“When the entire opposition inside and outside Parliament strongly oppose FDI, why is the UPA showing a special interest opening up the retail sector, This shows that the government has a hidden agenda” he alleged.
Joshi said the BJP has already intensified its agitation against FDI and has been getting a tremendous response in all parts of the country. “The people are ready to fight in the streets,” he said.
The BJP leader criticised the UPA government for its attitude to several key issues such as corruption. He said that government has lost the confidence of all sections of people and clamed that the BJP-led NDA has succeeded in exposing all the misdeeds of the government. In the coming days, the people would clear give a clear judgment against the UPA, he said.
Among the other speakers at the workshop were BJP state president G Kishan Reddy and BJP national secretary Dr K Laxman.