It is amazing how news items are picked up by renowned web publications far and away. Let me refer to the recent farmer’s stir in Nadia, where the stirrers demanded that Reliance resumes its farm products’ purchase.
The protest in terms of quantum of people was not significant, but it carried a very important message. The protesting farmers want to sell their produce to Reliance because they get better compensation instead of selling to middlemen at the wholesale markets.
There is a political tussle going on between CPM and its front partner Forward Bloc over the issue. While the Bloc had earlier stormed Reliance’s upcoming Girish Park outlet (and also elsewhere) because it believed that the company’s business would affect the small vegetable sellers, CPM on the other hand felt that there was no rule in the constitution to prevent Reliance to do the business it wanted to.
Seen in this backdrop, the Nadia news appearing in the Forbes magazine is significant, because it appears to act as a catalyst fort the entry of the biggest daddy of all, the US’ Wal-Mart, which is slated to debut very soon in the Indian markets.
It will be quite interesting to see which way the things develop. As of now it appears that the Bloc’s protest will ultimately peter off in time to come. But then you don’t know what actually happens in the murky playing field of Indian politics.
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