I am not against organised retail: Mayawati

About five months after her government ordered the closure of western-style food retail stores, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has said that she is not against corporate retailing and there was retail space for every one, "if planned well."

"I welcome private investment in all sectors of the economy. Corporate retailing will not be stopped," she said in an interview with the CFO Asia magazine. However, she asked the corporate willing to enter retail space to provide jobs to the people being adversely impacted by their venture.

When asked her role in the closure of organised retail networks opened by companies like Reliance, she said: "I have not ordered their closure...There was a law and order problem with affected people taking to the streets after these retail outlets were opened. Many lost jobs at kirana stores run by families."

The chief minister said that law and order that had deteriorated over the years was being restored and "once that is done, investors of all hues are bound to make Uttar Pradesh their home."

"If planned well, there is retail space for everybody," she added.

"The corporations will have to provide jobs to people whose livelihood is adversely impacted. Over 600 million rural families in India are facing the threat of losing their livelihood owing to the unabashed opening up of the Indian market to foreign goods and services," Mayawati said.

Mayawati was quoted by the Hong Kong-based magazine as saying that three large areas had been identified in the state to shape them into SEZs on the lines of a model adopted in China.