The Left parties have urged the Centre not to allow the Walmart acquisition of Flipkart. The CPI(M) said on Thursday that the deal facilitates the back-door entry of foreign capital to take over India’s huge multi-crore retail trade sector.

The party said proposal to allow FDI in India’s multi-brand retail sector was stoutly opposed by the Left parties. It reminded the BJP that it also opposed such moves when it was out of power. “Now in government, the BJP is facilitating the entry of foreign capital through the e-commerce route. This would completely destroy India’s retail trade that employs more than four crore people directly. Nearly one-fifth of our population is dependent on their earnings,” the CPI(M)’s Polit Bureau said in a statement.

It said it is common knowledge that Walmart sources its products from international markets. “These will now be sold in India, further destroying the small scale and medium scale sectors which is the largest provider of employment after the agricultural sector. This takeover once again exposes the naked betrayal of all promises made by the Modi government: Make in India has now become Make for India,” the statement said.

Condemning the sanction provided by the Centre to allow such an acquisition to take place, the party said it is against the interests of country and its people. “The PB demands that this should not be allowed,” the party said.

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