'You have to choose targets'

Q&A: Vandana Shiva

Social activist Vandana Shiva tells Sreelatha Menon

Why is the movement against big retail almost like a movement against Reliance? Why do you spare the Big Bazaars, Spencer's or Subhikshas?

You can't equate a chain like Spencer's, with five shops in the whole country, with Reliance, which can open 5,000 outlets in a single city.

You have to choose targets in a movement "" the ones that have the potential to do the greatest harm have to be the targets. You have to divide the giants from the small ones.

But Big Bazaar is big...

No, it is not present everywhere. Reliance is coming to every tiny town. But let me add that when we started the movement two years ago, neither Bharti nor Reliance was in the picture.

We built a broad alliance against foreign direct investment in retail. Reliance came in later and began its propaganda that it was organised retail versus unorganised retail.

Doesn't Navdanya sell its products through some of these big stores?

Never. Wal-Mart had offered to stock our products, I had a request from Reliance too. But I refused. We are the biggest network of organic farmers and people sell through our five outlets.