New Delhi: Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has come under fire from the ‘Swadeshi’ lobby after he tweeted a story detailing Amazon’s India plans.
Kant had Thursday tweeted a report detailing Amazon’s plans to export $10 billion worth of Make in India goods by 2025.
Amazon will export $10 billion Make in India goods by 2025, says Jeff Bezos https://t.co/jGqb9mWCXB
— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) January 16, 2020
Kant, who was earlier the secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, was appointed the CEO of Niti Aayog in 2016 after his retirement. The Narendra Modi government has since given him two extensions. He will serve till June 2021.
Responding to his tweet, Ashwani Mahajan of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a body affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), criticised Kant’s “unending love” for Amazon at a time “crores of small traders are being hurt by the deep discounts given by the company”.
Shri @amitabhk87 ji We r perturbed by your unending love for Amazon, given the scenario that crores of small traders are on streets persecuted by deep discounts and flaunting of rules by the company, @CCI_India and ED instituting enquiry against their wrongs. CC @narendramodi ji https://t.co/yLbi2H3tAw
— ASHWANI MAHAJAN (@ashwani_mahajan) January 16, 2020
Mahajan followed it up with another tweet asking Kant to “side with the people” — shopkeepers and workers — pointing out that the government has made its stand clear that deep discounting is not acceptable.
Unending love for Amazon of CEO @NITIAayog says @swadeshimanch while government makes its position very clear that deep discounting is not acceptable. Sh @amitabhk87 ji side with the people- shopkeepers, workers and SSIs NO GIMICKS https://t.co/pQm9HofOsZ
— ASHWANI MAHAJAN (@ashwani_mahajan) January 17, 2020
He also praised Piyush Goyal’s statement that Amazon’s India investment is not a favour to India. The commerce minister had also warned marketplaces to stop using loopholes in laws, warning them of strict action.
Kudos @PiyushGoyal you are absolutely right. Kindly enlighten Shri @amitabhk87 also, because he seems to be deeply impressed by the company especially $1 billion. Amazon’s fresh $1B investment in India is not a big favor, says Trade Minister https://t.co/6GfUhfc8wb
— ASHWANI MAHAJAN (@ashwani_mahajan) January 16, 2020
The Swadeshi lobby has been at the forefront of the opposition against foreign e-market places. Anti-trust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) has also launched an investigation against Amazon and Flipkart to see if these marketplaces offering deep discounts are killing competition.
Many traders under the aegis of the Confederation of all India Traders or CAIT have been staging protests across the country against Amazon.
Criticism after Modi cold shoulder
The criticism comes at a time the Narendra Modi government has snubbed Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos.
Bezos, who is on a three-day visit to India, had sought meetings with top government leaders but the appointments were not given, sources told ThePrint. During his visit in 2014, the Amazon chief had met the prime minister.
The BJP has also been attempting to appease the traders’ lobby ahead of the Delhi elections. The critical stance of the Bezos-owned Washington Post over some of the Modi government’s recent decisions, including the scrapping of Article 370, may have caused the cold shoulder to the Amazon chief.
Foreign e-marketplaces have found it difficult to operate in India under growing opposition from the strong Swadeshi lobby that has found a willing ear in the government.
India implemented new rules with effect from 1 February 2019, which placed restrictions on entities linked to the e-commerce companies selling their goods in the marketplace.
Also read: Fake firms, fake invoices and credit fraud — how it went all wrong for GST in just 2 years
Swadesh Jagaran Manch and other swadesh lobbies are working for Baniyas and others of their ilk in India, They are not concerned with consumers who are short changed by Indian traders. They have been brought up to cheat customers. With Amazon or Flipkart, we know what we are going to get, we can return the goods, and get back the money. Customer is the King in the e-market places. But, elsewhere in India trader is the king. BJP is preparing grounds for losing next Loksabha election. Sangh parivar will ensure that BJP loses.
NO WONDER INDYA AS COMPARED TO CHINA IS BOTTOM OF THE LIST IN EXPORTING GOODS OVERSEAS. AS THIS DESPIRATE TIME with the INDYA Econmy is in POOR SHAPE our ARROGANT CHAIWALA GANG HAVE LAUNCHED THE HINDUTVA CAMPAIGN AGAINST AMAZON. WHY DOES INDYA PM GOES TO USA TO BUY AMERICAN ARMS .ITS INTEND TO KILLING PEOPLE OF NEIGBOURING COUNTRY EVIL PURE EVIL
Why only target Amazon? All organised retailers are giving deep discounts because buyers love them. Goyal’s criticism it seems has more to do with Washington Post’s criticism of scrapping article 370 and other issues such as CAA and NRC, and not becoz of the government’s love for small businesses including small retailers. Demonetisation and flawed GST are bigger worries for cash heavy mom n pop shops.
Rss murdabad, Amazon zindabad
PLEASE DONT SAY MURDABAD TO FEKOOOO MASTER He will send his Lynching Saffron HINDUTVA Gang to Lynch a poor man like you.Its the reincarnation of Hitler in INDYA . WAit the GDP drops to 1% he will still fly overseas on his regular holidays and COLLECT FOREX FUNDS FOR HIS ELECTION FUNDS
Decide which economic model that you want to follow.
The RSS model or the capitalistic model. Because both models have their flaws but the RSS model has more flaws because business requires freeing up laws and an open market system. You can have checks and balances on top of it.
But to criticise investors because they have a free press when the Indian economy is reeling speaks volumes of the ego and hubris of BJP and aRSS.
Free press or freedom of speech, business doesn’t mean no law or its implementation. What Amazon does is not always in favor of business or consumers. It’s practices may wipe out competition. Even US doesn’t allow many mergers when it may create monopoly for one co, or two fixing price.
There shall be minimum three to four suppliers of every commodities and services in order to protect consumers, as everyone is consumer too.
Why don’t you tell that to Modi…who and his pals who let Reliance Jio drive out 7 players from the telecom market thanks to unrealistic low prices.
THIS TO INSULT TO AMAZON CEO, its IS TO PROTECT HIS REAL MASTER RELIANCE AMBANI THE INDYAN ELECTION FUNDS MANAGER TO BJP MONEY BAGS. THE INDYAN RS COULD BE THE OLD DEMONIZATION NOTES HIDDEN AWAY BUT VERY USEFUL DURING ELECTION TIME. WELL DONE MODIJI KEEP SCREWING FIC STOP ALL FOREX COMPANY .BUT DO NOT STOP THE FREE FLOW OF FOREX INTO BJP RSS VHP HMS TIJORIES ALL FOR ENRICHING THE RSS BJP LEADERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS Where Jay Shah ? He has ALREADY TO BECOME CEO of BCCI just to fill his Tijori .The Next Big BILLIONAIRE wah fekoooooo