Sir — Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement to block foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail in Delhi has come as a surprise. His rejection of FDI shows his desperation to gain everything in less time and that too at the cost of putting the country’s future in jeopardy.
UPA 2 has already paid a great price for what its coalition partners did in the last few years, and now Mr Kejriwal’s new anti-reforms agenda is going to further adversely impact the economy. Mr Kejriwal should think beyond Delhi and push for reforms in collaboration with the Union Government through a positive approach. But he appears to have been blinded by his success and popularity.
Mr Kejriwal’s decision on foreign direct investment has created a ripple in politics, which will allow various parties to haggle over the future of the country’s economic growth. This is bad because, as it is, the country’s political system is driven by sectarian and parochial interests. We don’t need new issues to divide the people and harm economic development.
Therefore, the Centre must not allow Mr Kejriwal and others of his kind to hijack the growth process and make a mockery of Parliament which has approved FDI in multi-brand retail after detailed discussions and debates. The Centre, regardless of the Government in power there, must stay committed to reformist measures in the best interests of the people, and uplift the shrinking economy.