After the Swadesh Jagran Manch called for scrutiny of the $16-billion Walmart-Flipkart merger, more than100 national groups joined in to voice their concern against the deal on Monday.
The organisations include trade unions and chambers of commerce from different States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, retailers federation from Jammu and Kashmir and even individuals.
The groups argued that the deal would create a duopoly between the two US-based companies Walmart and Amazon, which will render them too powerful.
Speaking a press conference, to highlight the impact of the deal on the Indian retail industry, Prabhat Patnaik, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said the control of Indian market by two multinational retail giants, will see two distinct processes of deindustrialisation — one of local traders and second of the producers.
Amitava Guha, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said the two organisations will not only have control over the supply chain, they will also be able to dictate the choices.
In addition they will impact adversely the 4.5 crore retailers and take away the jobs that are dependent on them. “Walmart has a long history of being anti-trade unions, paying poverty wages and disregarding social security laws,” he added.