Monday, December 10, 2012
0
Walmart money is bribe: BJP
New Delhi: Rajya
Sabha adjourned twice on Monday after Opposition uproar over reports of
Walmart spending on lobbying to enter Indian market.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the lobbying money was nothing but bribery and according to indina laws this is a serious offence.
Prasad's comments met with serious objections from the treasury benchers as the issue was not listed for discussion. The speaker disallowed the comments asking the members to follow proper procedures by issuing a due notice. MInutes later the house witness uproar leading to an adjournment.
The BJP leader also wanted to know who took the money from the walmart and asked the government to come clean on this.
Global retail giant Walmart - waiting for years to open its supermarkets in India - has been lobbying with the US lawmakers since 2008 to facilitate its entry into the highly lucrative Indian market.
As per the lobbying disclosure reports filed by Walmart with the US Senate, the company has spent close to $25 million (about Rs 125 crore) since 2008 on its various lobbying activities, including on the issues related to “enhanced market access for investment in India”.
In the last quarter ended September 30, 2012 itself, the company spent $1.65 million (about Rs 10 crore) on various lobbying issues, which included “discussions related to FDI in India”.
During the quarter, Walmart lobbied for its case with the US Senate, the US House of Represent-atives, the US Trade Repre-sentative (USTR) and the US Department of State, as per its latest quarterly disclosure report.
The companies are allowed to lobby for their cases in various departments and agencies in the US, but they are required to file their lobbying disclosure reports every quarter with the US Senate.
So far in 2012, Walmart has spent more than $3 million or about Rs 18 crore on its various lobbying activities, including those related to India.
As per Walmart’s lobbying disclosure reports, the company has continuously lobbied for its India entry since 2008, except for a few quarters in 2009.
The Indian government recently opened up its multibrand retail sector for foreign companies after years of political opposition and a Parliament motion against this decision was defeated last week in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The US-based supermarket chain operator Walmart Stores, which has an annual turnover of $444 billion, has been eyeing for a long time to enter India.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the lobbying money was nothing but bribery and according to indina laws this is a serious offence.
Prasad's comments met with serious objections from the treasury benchers as the issue was not listed for discussion. The speaker disallowed the comments asking the members to follow proper procedures by issuing a due notice. MInutes later the house witness uproar leading to an adjournment.
The BJP leader also wanted to know who took the money from the walmart and asked the government to come clean on this.
Global retail giant Walmart - waiting for years to open its supermarkets in India - has been lobbying with the US lawmakers since 2008 to facilitate its entry into the highly lucrative Indian market.
As per the lobbying disclosure reports filed by Walmart with the US Senate, the company has spent close to $25 million (about Rs 125 crore) since 2008 on its various lobbying activities, including on the issues related to “enhanced market access for investment in India”.
In the last quarter ended September 30, 2012 itself, the company spent $1.65 million (about Rs 10 crore) on various lobbying issues, which included “discussions related to FDI in India”.
During the quarter, Walmart lobbied for its case with the US Senate, the US House of Represent-atives, the US Trade Repre-sentative (USTR) and the US Department of State, as per its latest quarterly disclosure report.
The companies are allowed to lobby for their cases in various departments and agencies in the US, but they are required to file their lobbying disclosure reports every quarter with the US Senate.
So far in 2012, Walmart has spent more than $3 million or about Rs 18 crore on its various lobbying activities, including those related to India.
As per Walmart’s lobbying disclosure reports, the company has continuously lobbied for its India entry since 2008, except for a few quarters in 2009.
The Indian government recently opened up its multibrand retail sector for foreign companies after years of political opposition and a Parliament motion against this decision was defeated last week in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The US-based supermarket chain operator Walmart Stores, which has an annual turnover of $444 billion, has been eyeing for a long time to enter India.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 Responses to “Walmart money is bribe: BJP”
Post a Comment