New Delhi: The campaign to boycott Chinese goods following the country's support to Pakistan after the Uri attack has started hitting Diwali sales, according to traders in Old Delhi's markets.
Social media has been buzzing with calls not to buy Chinese goods this Diwali. Several politicians too have urged people to buy Indian goods only.
While many Old Delhi traders agree with the sentiment of the campaign, they say it would lead to huge losses as thousands of traders and shop-owners have stocked Chinese goods worth lakhs over the past four months.
"People have invested a lot on these products. Before taking any decision, politicians should be aware of our plight.Any plan to stop Chinese goods in India is not feasible for we do not yet have any such infrastructure to manufacture these products here," says Nitin Malhotra, a shop-owner at Old Delhi's Lajpat Rai market.
Over the years, Chinese firms have gained a near-monopoly over many Diwali products such as small blinking lights, also called `fairy lights', decorative items and statues. The campaign began on social media with people calling for the boycott of Chinese goods this Diwali. These posts argued that the boycott would have a two-fold advantage -that of crippling the Chinese economy and promotion of `swadeshi' products.
However, many do not agree with this argument. Old Delhi shopkeeper, brothers Rajkumar and Sanjay Gupta, believe they should do their bit for boycotting products of a country that is "against India". But they say any boycott now will affect sales.
"As it is, the retail market is gloomy because people usually buy stuff online these days, and many have lost their purchasing power. To ban the sale of goods now, when Diwali is upon us, is not the right step," says Sanjay Gupta.
Rajkumar believes the government should stop importers from buying products from China, instead of banning retail sales. "If they want to curb this then they should stop the ability of the importers to buy the product, rather than trouble us before Diwali," he says.
Shopkeepers say such is the extent of Chinese presence in the markets that even idols of Ganesh and Lakshmi are made in that country. Manoj Kataria, who sells `fairy lights' and LEDs, is disheartened with sales so far. "Politicians are responsible for our bad business. Very few people have turned up and we are fearing that this year will be bad for us," he says. He said shopkeepers would go along with the boycott calls if only indigenously made substitutes of these products were readily available.
Some traders, however, are backing the boycott calls. "All my products are indigenously made which helps local artisans," says Ravi Kumar, owner of a shop near the Bhagirath Palace market called Make in India.
But many other shopkeepers, especially those at Chawri Bazaar, believe that stopping sales of Chinese products would lead families of over 2-3 lakh people to lose their source of income.
At Dariba Kalan, a hub of firecracker wholesalers, most shopkeepers have set up posters claiming they will not sell Chinese crackers. "They are harmful for the environment and can be a huge health hazard," says Kunwar Manocha, a shopkeeper in the area.
He says despite the ban on firecrackers from China, the Chinese varieties can be found on the roadside, where many hawkers sell it illegally.
Social media has been buzzing with calls not to buy Chinese goods this Diwali. Several politicians too have urged people to buy Indian goods only.
While many Old Delhi traders agree with the sentiment of the campaign, they say it would lead to huge losses as thousands of traders and shop-owners have stocked Chinese goods worth lakhs over the past four months.
"People have invested a lot on these products. Before taking any decision, politicians should be aware of our plight.Any plan to stop Chinese goods in India is not feasible for we do not yet have any such infrastructure to manufacture these products here," says Nitin Malhotra, a shop-owner at Old Delhi's Lajpat Rai market.
Over the years, Chinese firms have gained a near-monopoly over many Diwali products such as small blinking lights, also called `fairy lights', decorative items and statues. The campaign began on social media with people calling for the boycott of Chinese goods this Diwali. These posts argued that the boycott would have a two-fold advantage -that of crippling the Chinese economy and promotion of `swadeshi' products.
However, many do not agree with this argument. Old Delhi shopkeeper, brothers Rajkumar and Sanjay Gupta, believe they should do their bit for boycotting products of a country that is "against India". But they say any boycott now will affect sales.
"As it is, the retail market is gloomy because people usually buy stuff online these days, and many have lost their purchasing power. To ban the sale of goods now, when Diwali is upon us, is not the right step," says Sanjay Gupta.
Rajkumar believes the government should stop importers from buying products from China, instead of banning retail sales. "If they want to curb this then they should stop the ability of the importers to buy the product, rather than trouble us before Diwali," he says.
Shopkeepers say such is the extent of Chinese presence in the markets that even idols of Ganesh and Lakshmi are made in that country. Manoj Kataria, who sells `fairy lights' and LEDs, is disheartened with sales so far. "Politicians are responsible for our bad business. Very few people have turned up and we are fearing that this year will be bad for us," he says. He said shopkeepers would go along with the boycott calls if only indigenously made substitutes of these products were readily available.
Some traders, however, are backing the boycott calls. "All my products are indigenously made which helps local artisans," says Ravi Kumar, owner of a shop near the Bhagirath Palace market called Make in India.
But many other shopkeepers, especially those at Chawri Bazaar, believe that stopping sales of Chinese products would lead families of over 2-3 lakh people to lose their source of income.
At Dariba Kalan, a hub of firecracker wholesalers, most shopkeepers have set up posters claiming they will not sell Chinese crackers. "They are harmful for the environment and can be a huge health hazard," says Kunwar Manocha, a shopkeeper in the area.
He says despite the ban on firecrackers from China, the Chinese varieties can be found on the roadside, where many hawkers sell it illegally.