India's main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has citied protests against opening of Walmart stores in New York City to criticize the Indian government for allowing the store and others to open branches in India.

BJP leader L K Advani slammed the Indian government for giving a red carpet welcome to the company even as it faced protest in its home country. He pointed out that his party had taken a stand against allowing foreign direct investment in multi brand retail in India when NDA was in power at the centre.

Wal-mart is the world's third largest corporation, according to Fortune Global 500 and is one of the largest private employers in the world with more than two million employees working at its stores. The company runs around 8,500 stores with different names in 15 countries across the world.

Those who favor FDI in multi brand retail in India argue that it will address the issue of supply bottle necks, develop supply chain infrastructure, reduce wastage of food and improve efficiency, besides generating employment. They also say that it will benefit farmers, who will be able to negotiate better deals with large firms and ultimately, customers, who will get commodities at a cheaper price.

Opponents argue that the allowing big international players will affect small retailers, which dot the country's streets. They cite the examples of Thailand and Malaysia, which allowing FDI in retail has resulted in problems for small retailers.