<p>Thousands of small-scale traders in India are planning to organise protests against Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos, who will visit the country next week for a company event and potential meetings with government officials.</p>.<p>Bezos will participate in an Amazon event in capital New Delhi aimed at connecting with small and medium-sized enterprises, three sources told Reuters.</p>.<p>He has also sought meetings with the prime minister and other government officials, with conversations expected to centre around e-commerce, one of the sources familiar with the matter said.</p>.<p>Details of Bezos' visit, including his arrival date and the duration of his stay are not known.</p>.<p>Amazon did not respond to a request to confirm the visit. The prime minister's office also did not respond to requests for comment.</p>.<p>The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a group representing roughly 70 million brick-and-mortar retailers, said it will protest across 300 cities during Bezos' stay in the country.</p>.<p>CAIT has since 2015 waged a battle against online retailers Amazon and Walmart-controlled Flipkart, accusing them of deep discounts and flouting India's foreign investment rules.</p>.<p>Both e-tailers have denied the allegations.</p>.<p>Amazon has previously said its platform provides business opportunities to thousands of small sellers, artisans, weavers and women entrepreneurs. But CAIT is not convinced.</p>.<p>"We plan to organise peaceful rallies against Jeff Bezos in all major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata as well as smaller towns and cities," Praveen Khandelwal, the group's secretary-general told Reuters.</p>.<p>"We expect to mobilise at least 100,000 traders in the protests."</p>.<p>With its 1.3 billion population and the world's second-biggest smartphone user base that relies on cheap data for social media and online shopping, India is a key market for U.S. retailers Amazon and Walmart to grow their business.</p>.<p>Discounts on their platforms have helped lure Indians to shop online for everything from groceries to large electronic devices, a phenomenon which traders say has unfairly hurt their business.</p>.<p>New Delhi introduced rules last year to protect nearly 130 million people dependent on small-scale retail -- a key voter base -- by deterring large online discounts.</p>.<p>The rules forced e-commerce firms to change their business structures, drawing criticism from the United States and straining the two countries' trade ties.</p>.<p>The federal commerce ministry is reviewing complaints and evidence filed by CAIT against Flipkart and Amazon, Reuters reported previously. </p>
<p>Thousands of small-scale traders in India are planning to organise protests against Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos, who will visit the country next week for a company event and potential meetings with government officials.</p>.<p>Bezos will participate in an Amazon event in capital New Delhi aimed at connecting with small and medium-sized enterprises, three sources told Reuters.</p>.<p>He has also sought meetings with the prime minister and other government officials, with conversations expected to centre around e-commerce, one of the sources familiar with the matter said.</p>.<p>Details of Bezos' visit, including his arrival date and the duration of his stay are not known.</p>.<p>Amazon did not respond to a request to confirm the visit. The prime minister's office also did not respond to requests for comment.</p>.<p>The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a group representing roughly 70 million brick-and-mortar retailers, said it will protest across 300 cities during Bezos' stay in the country.</p>.<p>CAIT has since 2015 waged a battle against online retailers Amazon and Walmart-controlled Flipkart, accusing them of deep discounts and flouting India's foreign investment rules.</p>.<p>Both e-tailers have denied the allegations.</p>.<p>Amazon has previously said its platform provides business opportunities to thousands of small sellers, artisans, weavers and women entrepreneurs. But CAIT is not convinced.</p>.<p>"We plan to organise peaceful rallies against Jeff Bezos in all major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata as well as smaller towns and cities," Praveen Khandelwal, the group's secretary-general told Reuters.</p>.<p>"We expect to mobilise at least 100,000 traders in the protests."</p>.<p>With its 1.3 billion population and the world's second-biggest smartphone user base that relies on cheap data for social media and online shopping, India is a key market for U.S. retailers Amazon and Walmart to grow their business.</p>.<p>Discounts on their platforms have helped lure Indians to shop online for everything from groceries to large electronic devices, a phenomenon which traders say has unfairly hurt their business.</p>.<p>New Delhi introduced rules last year to protect nearly 130 million people dependent on small-scale retail -- a key voter base -- by deterring large online discounts.</p>.<p>The rules forced e-commerce firms to change their business structures, drawing criticism from the United States and straining the two countries' trade ties.</p>.<p>The federal commerce ministry is reviewing complaints and evidence filed by CAIT against Flipkart and Amazon, Reuters reported previously. </p>