Delhi traders urge Rahul Gandhi to hold November 1 rally after Diwali, cite losses

Traders' associations and businessmen in Delhi are worried about a Congress rally planned in the city on November 1. They say protests and road closures over the past few months have already hurt business, and another big rally in the festive season could thin out customer crowds in the markets further.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said the protests and rallies in Delhi in the past few months have caused a business loss of about Rs 4,000 crore. According to him, the period from October to January is counted among the most important business months of the year for traders.

Khandelwal added that wholesale buyers and traders come to Delhi in large numbers from other states, but when rallies and demonstrations disrupt traffic, many of them put off the trip. He said that shifting the proposed rally to a later date would be in the interest of both business and trade.

Khandelwal said, "Recent protests, agitations and other such activities in Delhi have caused a loss of about Rs 4,000 crore. This is the festive time for Delhi's traders, when sales for one whole year happen on one side, and sales from October to January on the other. In such a situation, if Rahul Gandhi holds another rally, it will certainly affect our business and traders will suffer losses."

New Delhi Traders Association president Atul Bhargava also said Delhi's traders have been facing difficult conditions for several months. He said markets have been continuously affected by various factors since July, and a dispute has now arisen over the protest site near Jantar Mantar. According to Bhargava, traders' concern over the proposed November 1 programme of the Congress and other political parties is natural.

Bhargava said, "We humbly appeal to all political parties and those staging protests not to hold any event that affects the market until Diwali. We are now trying to bring customer crowds back and recover from the earlier losses. We have already invested money for the festive season, and the next four months are the most important business period of the year for us."

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has written to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP. The letter asks that the rally due on November 1 at Ramlila Maidan be postponed to November 10. CTI gave the reason that Diwali is the peak period for business.

CTI president Brijesh Goyal said the rally could disrupt business for three to four days and affect trade worth up to Rs 10,000 crore. There are about 20 large wholesale and retail markets within a 5 km radius of the rally venue. According to CTI, marches held in October and road closures have already cost Delhi's traders about Rs 3,000 crore.