The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Gautam Adani and various other industry leaders seeking their support to prevent monopolisation of e-commerce. Alleging violation of FDI policy in form of deep discounting, preferential selling and loss funding practices, the organisation has sought enforcement of the proposed e-commerce rules by the Centre. 

A representative of 8 crore small businesses across India, the traders’ body has written to Swami Ramdev, Harsh Goenka, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Kishore Biyani and Lalit Agarwal among others, along with organisations like the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), All India Grahak Panchayat, All India Transport Welfare Association, Federation of Small Manufacturers, Laghu Udyog Bharti, FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM and the PHD Chamber of Commerce.

Likening sale of goods at unbelievable discounts by e-commerce companies to practices of the East India Company, CAIT has claimed that unfair practices are killing competition and disrupting a level-playing field by creating a monopoly in the market, thereby jeopardizing the Indian economy. Accusing the foreign-funded e-commerce companies of trying to impede anti-trust probes by government agencies into their business models, CAIT has maintained that a “purely cash burning model” is an unhealthy and unfair business practice intended to invade retail trade in India.

CAIT fears that Indian manufacturers, small traders , distributors, self owned enterprises and farmers will be adversely affected if e-commerce and retail trade is fully controlled by foreign companies. CAIT has sought a unified forum of all forces of retail trade in India to urge the Centre to enforce the proposed e- commerce rules and implement an e-commerce policy to removing loopholes or escape routes for unfair business practices.