Government sources pointed out that Reliance aims to have most of its outlets concentrated in the cities, not rural areas, and the Left rules all the five city corporations in the state. “So we don’t expect a problem getting them to deny licences to the retail group,” the sources said.

Not that there is any guarantee. The licence for Reliance’s six functional outlets in the state was issued by the Kochi city corporation, which is in firm CPM control. Reliance had even got a senior member of the CPM state committee and the CPM deputy mayor of the city to inaugurate two of these outlets in Kochi.

After this led to a din, the same duo inaugurated the CPM-led Kochi rally against big corporate retailers as well, a couple of days later. The embarrassed party had to finally step in and make both offer a public apology. “That is the CPM’s problem. We have no ambiguities about the issue in the CPI, or in the LDF,” Divakaran said.

The legislation has the backing of the state’s powerful traders lobby, the Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithy. And while the CPI is putting everything behind this idea, no one expects the ban Bill to fall foul of big brother CPM either. Two days ago, CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had announced that the Left government’s policy was not to have monopoly retailers in the state, not long after his party rival and CM, VS Achuthanandan slammed corporate retailers. Even the Opposition may find it hard to oppose the Bill, after Opposition leader Oommen Chandy’s public posturing against retail groups.

... contd.