FDI: Left parties extend support to 'Bharat Bandh'

Left parties on Monday decided to extend support to the 'Bharat Bandh' called by Confederation of All India Traders on December 1 to protest the Centre's decision to allow FDI in retail.

CPI leaders U N Mishra and Md Jabbar Alam, Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Sarvodaya Sharma and the RSP's America Mahto and Vakil Thakur flayed the UPA government for going ahead with allowing the FDI in retail bypassing the views of some senior ministers like A K Antony.

The measure would be opposed "tooth and nail" as it poses a serious threat to the livelihood of crores of traders and their families, they said.

The CPI, CPI(M), Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc will also hold a nation-wide agitation on November 30 against the Centre's decision on the issue, they said.