varnam

Last month, members of DYFI and the Merchants association ransacked a Reliance retail shop in Paravur.The police did not bother to prevent this and no one was arrested. In Kerala, the politicians and business groups have decided that a consumer should buy only from shops run by them and not from supermarkets run by Reliance or Spencers.

Over the last one month I have been talking to people and visiting places to find the reasons behind the agitation against retail shops. Interestingly the retail shops targeted are all based in India (Reliance, Spencers etc.). There are two main reasons behind this agitation

1. The majority of big retail business is controlled by certain groups. They are the main people who are funding this. In Kerala if you pay money you can hire a lot of anti-social elements. It is estimated that there are 4 million unemployed youth here!

2. In many places, politicians have a stake in the local retail shops or supermarkets. They know that there substandard supermarkets cannot compete with the efficient shops run by Reliance or Spencers. [Reliance retail shop ransacked by criminals at paravur]

Thus when a Malayali goes on his mandatory exile, a place he can settle down comfortably and get the ambiance of the home state would be San Francisco. This is a place where supervisors are working on legislation to ban all chain stores

The city's restrictions on new chain stores have become increasingly tough over the past few years. In 2003, the Board of Supervisors approved a law requiring proposed coffeehouses and pharmacies to provide notice of their intent to open. That made it easier for opponents to request Planning Commission hearings and to argue against the stores.

In recent months, however, chain store owners with applications before the Planning Commission have encountered renewed hostility and skepticism. Some commissioners have stated flatly that they don't like chain stores under any circumstances. [S.F. grows ever more hostile to chain stores ]