If popular is white and populism black, then Mamata Banerjee is a curious shade of grey that may be hard to spot in the colour charts.
Slamming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the issue of allowing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday said the red carpet was being rolled out for Walmart when it faced protests even in the US and New York City "shut Walmart out".
Foreign direct investment and capital market are two major sources of capital in any industry.
Economists at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) here expect that the share of organised retail in India will not exceed 30 per cent of the total retail trade in the country even after allowing 51 per cent foreign direct investment in (FDI) in multi-brand retail.
Bhartiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday claimed that the 'Bharat Bandh' to protest against diesel price hike, Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail and cap on subsidised LPG was a great success and hoped the 'most corrupt' government since Independence has got the message and would roll back prices of diesel and not allow investments by the big international such as like Walmart to invest in India in the wholesale market.
BHEL was the top Sensex loser, down over 4%.
Weeks before the "big bang" decisions on economic reforms, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made clear to Mamata Banerjee about the intention to allow Foreign Direct Investment in retail and called her to inform just before the Friday's cabinet meeting but she did not receive the call.
Chidambaram welcomes CRR cut as a good small step forward.
The government may have plumped for FDI in multi-brand retail at this juncture because this is an issue which has also divided the opposition, believes Neerja Chowdhury
India's gross domestic product growth has slumped to 6.5 per cent in 2011-12, the lowest in the last nine years.
On being asked if she would choose to withdraw her party's support to the Congress-led Union government, Mayawati said, "I have convened a huge rally of the party in Lucknow on October 9, which will be followed by a meeting of our party national executive on the following day. There we will take a final call on the question of continuing our support to the UPA government."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday made it loud and clear that he will not allow foreign direct investment in retail in any corner of the country's most populous state.
A Cabinet minister tells Sheela Bhatt that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken a gamble on the FDI in retail issue and insists that the Congress party is with him.
A Cabinet minister tells Sheela Bhatt that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken a gamble on the FDI in retail issue and insists that the Congress party is with him.
In October 2011, the country had attracted FDI worth $1.16 billion.
Mamata Banerjee, Chief minister of West Bengal and an important ally of the UPA government has given go-ahead to the Foreign Direct Investment in the aviation sector, according to a source in her government in Kolkata.
Facing criticism for bailing out the government on the issue of Foreign Direct Investment in retail, the Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday said it voted with the United Progressive Alliance in Rajya Sabha as its defeat would have lead the Opposition to demand its resignation, on the ground that it does not enjoy a majority.
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati has decided to support the government on FDI as she does not want to destabilise the government, reports Renu Mittal
A day after the Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail got the approval of the Lok Sabha as the opposition motion seeking immediate withdrawal of the decision was rejected convincingly as the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party walked out, the Rajya Sabha will debate and vote on the issue over the next two days starting Thursday.
Opposing Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday said that the move is not in the interest of the country.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Friday kept up the suspense on her party's stand on voting on the Foreign Direct Investment in retail issue in Rajya Sabha, saying it will be declared on the floor of the House.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ruffled a couple of sensitive feathers while on her otherwise successful South Asian tour.
A trial of strength over Foreign Direct Investment in retail issue will be witnessed in Parliament next week, with the Lok Sabha deciding to have a discussion on December 4 and 5 on the issue under a rule that entails voting, a strident demand of the Opposition.
The Samajwadi Party on Thursday said it will vote against the decision to introduce Foreign Direct Investment in retail sector in the Rajya Sabha, where the United Progressive Alliance does not have majority on its own. "We will vote against FDI in Rajya Sabha if the government brings it there," said SP's leader in the Upper House Ramgopal Yadav.
Experts said the rules will help curb market manipulation and money laundering, which could take place during the transfer of shares between residents and NRIs.
Four proposals by foreign firms deferred; half a dozen others waiting in the wings.
Notification after Parliament session; execution ball to be in states' court.
Investments from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to India remain negligible relative to trade flows and represent just a small percentage of total FDI from the region to the world, says a report.
The winter session of Parliament on Thursday got off on a stormy note with the first day getting washed out over foreign direct investment in retail even as an effort by Trinamool Congress to bring the no-confidence motion flopped due to lack of requisite numbers.
The department of economic affairs, in its Monthly Economic Review for September, said critical reforms undertaken by the government will put India to a strong and sustainable growth path in the long run.
The four are said to be belonging to the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's union outfit -- CITU, one of the 10 trade unions, which were on strike on Wednesday.
Outbound foreign direct investment last month was almost 47 per cent less than the $2.74 billion in November, according to the Reserve Bank data released on Wednesday.
Notwithstanding its inability to open multi-brand retail for foreign investment, government on Tuesday notified 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail, paving way for global chains like Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Gucci to have full ownership of their India operations.
In the cacophony of debates on the wisdom of liberalising retail foreign direct investment, or FDI, one viewpoint was noticeably absent: whether and how this might affect India's strategic interests.
In a bid to take on the government in Parliament on its decision to allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, the Communist Party of India-Marxist on Wednesday said it has submitted notices in both the Houses seeking a discussion on the issue under rules entailing voting.
The government has decided to consult allies like the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam before any resolution on extending the ambit of FDI to aviation by allowing foreign carriers to buy stakes in Indian ones.
The company had set up its first store in New Delhi 12 years ago through the franchisee route, and it remains the only one in India from its stable so far.
One thing is clear we will continue our fight against FDI, says Bardan.
The searches are in connection with alleged violation of foreign direct investment norms that is linked to an earlier case of revocation of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act licence of the NGO by the Union home ministry in 2010, the ED said.
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