The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) objects to the remarks made by President Obama that India open the doors to Wal-Mart for retail trade and other American investments in India. The statement by Obama is a brazen attempt to pressurize the UPA government to adopt such steps as opening multibrand retail to FDI.
The Manmohan Singh government should not succumb to this pressure. The CPI(M) wants the government not to open up retail trade to foreign supermarket chains which will endanger the livelihoods of lakhs of small shopkeepers and traders.