Impose conditions for Corporates' entry into retail: PMK

Chennai, Mar 10 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder leader S Ramadoss today urged the Tamil Nadu government to impose stringent conditions on entry of corporate giants like Reliance to enter the retail trade.

Reacting to reports that Reliance Industries Chief Mukesh Ambani had issued a directive to buy shops in all important places in the state to expand its retail chain, the PMK leader said ''giving a free hand to corporates in retail segment would render hundreds and thousands of people engaged in the trade jobless.'' He said the Kerala and West Bengal governments had imposed conditions for corporates to enter retail sector and the Tamil Nadu government should also come out with similar conditions to prevent the companies from expanding their retail chain.

Dr Ramadoss, who had staged protest demonstrations in front of Reliance fresh stores, suggested that the DMK government should prevent the companies from selling goods sold in petty and grocery shops and announce the conditions in the state budget to be presented on March 20.

The government should come forward to protect the interest of the small traders, failing which, they would be forced to launch an agitation and the PMK would support it, he added.

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