The first week of the 5-week winter session of parliament was wasted with yet another logjam for the fourth day on Friday, this time over the union cabinet clearing 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail trade, despite strong opposition from a parliamentary panel and even from within the UPA government.

While the opposition MPs kept attacking the FDI decision inside and outside parliament, commerce minister Anand Sharma claimed at a press conference that it will not only help farmers but also create jobs -- 40 lakhs to one crore in three years and tried to dent on the business of smaller domestic retailers.

Both the houses were adjourned to Monday after the presiding officers saw no way to pacify the agitated members to down the pandemonium that kept intensifying after every adjournment, except for an impromptu discussion for 40 minutes in the lok sabha on an attempted assault on agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

Speaker Meira Kumar and chairman Hamid Ansari condemned the assault in their respective houses at the start of the day's proceedings, but the sombreness vanished with members shouting slogans and rushing to the front displaying banners and newspapers.

FDI apart, Congress MPs kept up their noisy campaign for separate Telangana state, AIADMK MPs waved a Tamil newspaper on a Hollywood movie "Dam999" and Biju Janata Dal MPs shouted for relief to Odisha.

The first ruckus in the lok sabha over FDI during the question hour was very embarrassing to the government as  MPs of Trinamul Congress (TMC), partner in the government, protested and walked towards the well of the house.

They were joined by almost the entire House, except the Congress members, demanding reversal of the FDI decision, including those of BJP and the Left parties. They kept asserting that the multi-nationals' entry will destroy the smaller and poorer traders of the country and drive down prices paid to India's farmers.

The ruckus was kicked off in the rajya sabha by the AIADMK MPs waving a local daily carrying a report on the dam and claimed it shows the Mullaperiyar dam of Kerala that serves Tamil Nadu.

Outside parliament, fiery BJP leader Uma Bharti said she would personally burn down any Wal-mart outlet if they are established in India. "I am very angry by the fact that it was big companies that took away land from the poor first and now the big companies would also take away employment from the poor people...if Wal-Mart attempts to open any shop anywhere then I will personally burn them down," she said.

The apex trade bodies like ASSOCHAM and Confederation of Indian Industry, however, came out in support of the government for deciding after dithering for years to open up the multi-rand retail to global retail giants like Wal-Mart, TESCO and Carrefour and said it would certain inject sorely-needed investment in Asia's third-largest economy.

The CII claimed the move was set to benefit consumers, producers and small and medium enterprises, besides generating "significant employment." Its president B Muthuraman said: "This would open up enormous opportunities in India for expansion of organised retail and allow substantial investment in backend infrastructure like cold chains, warehousing, logistics and expansion of contract farming."

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said foreign investments in the retail sector will inject competition and efficiencies, create new jobs across the country and reduce considerable difference in farm gate prices, wholesale prices and retail prices.

“The agriculture sector needs to find ways to reduce wastage from farm production and improve efficiency of its highly-fragmented food supply chain. More than 30 per cent of agricultural produce is spoilt before it ever reaches consumers, ASSOCHAM secretary general D S Rawat said. He expects India’s overall retail sector to rise to 833 billion dollars by 2013 and to 1.3 trillion dollars by 2018, at a compounded annual growth rate of 10 per cent.