Trade body CTI warns of Rs 10,000 crore loss if the 10-lakh-strong protest goes ahead at Ramlila Maidan
New Delhi: A day after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi turned down their first request, Delhi’s top traders’ group has written to him again, asking that the INDIA bloc’s mega-rally planned for November 1 be postponed until after Diwali.
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), the apex body for traders and entrepreneurs in Delhi, sent a detailed letter from its chairman, Brijesh Goyal. A copy also went to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, with a request that he discuss the matter with allied parties.
Gandhi’s Response
In an X post on Monday, written in Hindi, Gandhi made it clear he intends to go ahead with the rally. He said the protest could end “in 30 seconds” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi sacked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, whom he described as “accused no. 4.”
“To every trader in Delhi: We love you and hear you,” Gandhi wrote. He said the government had shut the metro, sealed roads and locked down the capital, and claimed that “with a stolen vote nothing is safe,” including shops, savings and children’s futures.
Goyal said the post showed the rally would go on in the middle of peak Diwali shopping season. Traders in 20 major markets around Ramlila Maidan have expressed deep concern and disappointment, he added.
Traders’ Worries
The rally is expected to draw around 10 lakh people. CTI estimates that 15,000 to 20,000 buses could bring protesters to the capital, apart from private cars used by political leaders. The group fears this could choke the streets around the venue.
Ramlila Maidan is surrounded by some of Delhi’s biggest wholesale and retail markets, and every route to it passes through them. Markets expected to be affected include Chandni Chowk, Bhagirath Palace, Khari Baoli, Sadar Bazar, Chawri Bazar, Kashmere Gate, Nabi Karim and Karol Bagh.
The traders’ letter asked several pointed questions: “Will barricades be set up as early as October 31st, and will roads be closed off? Will shops be able to open on October 31 and November 1, and will customers be able to reach them?”
The Money at Stake
CTI pointed to a recent example. A protest of just 3,000 to 4,000 people at Jantar Mantar on October 10 led to the sealing of the entire Central Delhi area, it said, causing traders a loss of Rs 3,000 crore.
By that measure, the body argues, a rally of 10 lakh people would bring business in Old Delhi to a complete standstill, costing around Rs 10,000 crore.
Alternative Venues Suggested
If the rally cannot be postponed, CTI has proposed moving it to another location, such as Burari Grounds or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where markets would not be directly affected.
The Bigger Picture
The November 1 rally is part of a long campaign by the Opposition alliance demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. The dispute now puts the opposition’s political plans on a collision course with the interests of traders, who rely on the weeks around Diwali for a large share of their yearly sales.
Whether Gandhi and the INDIA bloc will respond to the second appeal, or whether the venue or date will change, remains to be seen.
