'Trader friendly' MPs to hold dharna in Parliament against malls

Lucknow, July 24 (UNI) ''Trader-friendly'' MPs would hold a dharna in Parliament House on August 14 to protest the growing mall culture in the country, a Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member said today.

Banwari Lal Kanchal, who heads the Samajwadi Party-backed Rashtriya Vyapar Mandal, said MPs who understand the interests of small traders would bring an adjournment motion in both house of Parliament and organise a dharna against the rising mall culture and entry of multinationals in the retail sector.

''50 MPs would sign a letter to protest the mall culture and seek assurance from the government towards the interests of smaller traders. The letters would be handed over to the Prime Minister and the Commerce Minister on August 20,'' he added.

As a prelude to the dharna at Parliament, traders from across the country will burn shopping malls in effigy across the country on August 8.

On July 17, the Rashtriya Vyapar Mandal had organised a 50-hour long dharna at Jantar Mantar in the national capital to protest shopping malls and entry of MNCs in the retail sector.

The traders' organisation has claimed that malls were eating into the business of small traders who could not afford renting outlets in malls.

UNI