Strongly pitching for abolishing “the complex web of laws” in the country, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday called for simplifying them with a clear aim to “empower common man.” He also asked traders not to be scared of e-commerce and instead innovate and improvise with Information Technology to counter global competition.
He wondered why the country was perceived in separate brackets (Government, States, people, police etc) and why the thought “we are all separate and are not working for one country” was instilled.
“This mindset of over 60 years need to be changed,” Modi said while addressing 1,500 representatives at a two-day conference organised here by All India Confederation of Traders here at Siri Fort auditorium.
Seeking “a root and branch change”, he said there was a need for a complete transformation in country’s machinery “from the PM to Peon”.
“Jab bhi hum ayenge …60 days left… tab 60 saal ke gadde bharne honge,” Modi said amidst applause. He invited another round of cheer when he said he was not a man who calculates profit or loss (while taking steps). “I was not born that way,” he added.
looking 10 years ahead from now, Modi said this transformation would make 75-year-old Independent India “young again”. Modi said the country should not be run from Delhi and States “should be trusted.”
He said there was an urgent need to “simplify laws” in the country and doing away with host of tax forms. He maintained there was a thinking in Government or its agencies like income tax department that “all others are thieves”. It is not law but “trust that runs society,” he maintained adding “this thinking is beginning for transformation”.
Asking traders not to be scared of global competition or e-commerce, he sought them to innovate and invent newer ways to outwit competition from malls. He said they should adept themselves to new information technology and “fight rather run away” from the trade competition.
He was responding to the demand for a ban on e-commerce by general secretary of All India Confederation of traders Praveen Khandelwal who said the 62 per cent increase in the sector was “affecting domestic retail”.
He said retail traders should make powerful portals and reach out even to villages by creating a “virtual mall” and compete with major malls. But for this, Modi said, the Government should build capacity with surplus power supply and internet reach every where in the country.
Modi interspersed his address giving interesting insight into ancient trade practices and wisdom. He said while traveling in a small Russian state of Astrakhan, he came across a number of shops with names “Okha” which he recalled was a port in Gujarat (in Jamnagar district). When he inquired about the practice of naming shops as “Okha”, he was told that it suggested “a good brand” bearing credibility and trusted by Russians.
While addressing the issues relating to the governance, Gujarat Chief Minister said India’s External Affairs Ministry was working “in old and outdated ways”. “Why not think of trade or commerce diplomacy,” he asked saying the old beaten paths should be done away with.
Referring to the ancient wisdom that easily merged with practical knowledge, he gave an example as how “supari” (Betel nut) farming generated employment in south India though “supari” has “no health value”. Modi said our ancestors introduced “supari” as a must in all “pujas” and it became a big trade. “This is a vision,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who also addressed the traders’ meet, said Walmart, the retail giant, is now not being allowed to set up its shop in New York and driven out of Germany. He said these multinationals spread lot of corruption while entering markets of various countries.
