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"There will be no commercial activity across the country. Traders in different cities will take out protest marches and demonstrations," Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Praveen Khandelwal told reporters here.
He said several leaders of different political parties, which are also observing the nation-wide bandh, will address a rally of retail traders at Jantar Mantar.
About 25,000 trade associations representing five crore traders, hawkers, labourers and farmers will participate in the bandh, Khandelwal claimed.
Several political parties, including Trinamool Congress, BJP, JD(U), Samajwadi Party and BSP are opposing the FDI in retail.
Contradicting the Commerce Ministry's clarification, CAIT Secretary General said once the sector is opened to foreign investors they will have to be given the national treatment under different bilateral treaties.
He said the government stand that these treaties would not affect the states' rights to allow or disallow foreign retailers was "misleading and baseless".
He said that multi-national companies would displace small shopkeepers and will adversely impact traders and hawkers.
Instead of appreciating the benefits the consumers would reap with multinational companies coming into retail and encouraging competition the traders have mindlessly for their own selfish reasons to avoid competition called for a bandh which will not only throw the life of the common man out of gear but put the whole nation to a financial loss. The traders are free to express their opposition to FDI in retail, however, the call for a bandh is totally unwarranted.
