NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voiced its displeasure at the recent reform endored by the United Progressive Alliance government, saying that if the party was voted to power it will mull scrapping of the much debated foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail.
Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told IANS: "We are against FDI in multi-brand retail it is against India's interest."
The BJP leader further said, "If we come to power, the consequences (on FDI) will follow."
Be ready for polls: Gadkari
Sounding the poll bugle, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said was on the cusp of change and BJP workers must be ready for elections.
Addressing the national executive meeting in Surajkund, Haryana, the party's highest decision-making body, being held in this town bordering the national capital, Gadkari called upon workers to focus on the people's expectations from the party.
Quoting from Gadkari's speech, Prasad said: "The president said in his speech that the country is on the verge of change. The Congress government is falling due to its own actions, its allies are leaving it, or trying to leave. For getting new allies, they have an organisation, CBI."
"Gadkari said the Congress-led UPA was a sinking ship as people are disenchanted with it over corruption and price rise He called upon party workers to be ready for a poll," Prasad added.
The national executive meeting, attended by over 200 delegates, will be followed by the national council meeting on Thursday and Friday.
Besides Gadkari, senior party leaders, including L.K. Advani, Arun Jaitley, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Murli Manohar Joshi and chief ministers Arjun Munda from Jharkhand and P.K. Dhumal from Himachal Pradesh, attended the meet.
BJP to counter FDI in multi-brand retail
The BJP will counter the government's decision to allow 51 percent foreign equity in multi-brand retail by saying 100 percent FDI in back-end operations in food processing industries has been very low in the past decade.
"100 percent FDI in back-end operations in food processing industries allowed 10 years ago have seen very low investment as compared to the projections," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
The BJP also plans to target Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent address to the nation justifying the economic reforms, saying the speech disappointed the people who were expecting some relief from the harsh measures announced earlier.
"The prime minister keeps referring to the economic reforms started by him in 1991 but the Congress and its policies have been responsible for the economic mess the country is in today," said Javadekar. (Agencies)
Take a look at the scenes from the 50th International Paris Air Show, 2013. It is considered as the world's largest aviation and space industry show, and takes place at Le Bourget airport June 17-23.
