Finally there seems to be a counterbalance to all the traders’ protests against organized retail. As I had almost predicted three months ago (it got lost in one of the drafts in this post), farmers’ unions have started taking sides with organized retail. Business Standard reports:
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ambavat faction) today submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Mayawati and the district magistrate of Lucknow, demanding an immediate reopening of the Reliance stores in Lucknow and other places in UP.
I think it’s only a matter of time before such protests will start gaining ground elsewhere. And thus will begin the farmer-trader battle that I’d talked about three months ago. I had predicted then that the farmer, and thus organized retail, will win. Only time can tell what will happen.