SWADESHI Jagran Manch (SJM) described the so-called study conducted by the ICRIER and the Price Water HouseCoopers on the entry of MNCs into retail trade as ‘fraud’ and said the entry of MNCs into Indian retail sector would be a genocide of 30 crore Indians. It is to be noted that the Government of India got two studies conducted by the ICRIER in 2005 and 2008. The ICRIER is run by Smt Ishar Ahluwalia, wife of Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and the Price Water HouseCoopers was found involved in Satyam Scam.
In its survey, the ICRIER reportedly spoke to 2,825 shopkeepers and their neighbours. “But the details and identity of all these has been kept a secret. Apart from it the Standing Committee in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha on June 8, 2009 also opposed the entry of MNCs in Indian retail trade. Despite that the UPA Government appears adamant to allow the entry of MNCs in this sector,” said SJM national convenor Shri Arun Ojha. He pointed out that the SJM on its part conducted a survey in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Haryana to know the opinion of the shopkeepers on this issue and all of them strongly opposed the entry of MNCs in retail trade. He said the survey conducted by ICRIER is totally false and has been fabricated to support the MNCs
