Assocham to urge Mamata to support FDI in retail

Kolkata  : Industry lobby Assocham will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a staunch opponent of foreign direct (FDI) investment in multi-brand retail, and urge her to support the centre’s reform initiative.

“The economic policies have been politicised. We are mixing up political and economic issues,” Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat told reporters Thursday.

“We will appeal to her to support it.”

Last month, Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress withdrew from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue.

Accusing the central government of “ruining and selling the country” through its economic reforms, Banerjee said she would not allow FDI in retail in her state.

Rawat Thursday said he would meet the state’s chief secretary later in the day and seek an appointment with the chief minister.

“We have already urged her to allot us time. Today, I will meet the chief secretary and request him for an appointment with Banerjee,” Rawat said on the sidelines of a seminar on “Indian Coal Story- Current Challenges and Future Outlook”, co-organised by the Financial Journalists Club (FJC) here.