New Delhi: Delhi’s traders have asked the Congress party to move a huge rally planned for November 1 to a later date. They say it could bring business in the heart of the capital to a halt just days before Diwali.
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) wrote to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday. It asked her to postpone the “Chalo Dilli Ramlila March” at Ramlila Maidan. The rally was proposed by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The opposition INDIA bloc is organising it to protest against alleged vote tampering.
Why traders are worried
The CTI says about 10 lakh people and 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles are expected to reach central Delhi. Traders fear this could cause total gridlock. In their words, the situation could be “akin to a lockdown”.
The timing is a big concern. Dhanteras falls on November 6 and Diwali on November 8, so the markets are in the middle of their busiest shopping season. According to the CTI, November 1 is one of the busiest days for moving festive goods and for shoppers.
CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the appeal was not an attack on the rally. “We are not opposing the rally; we are making a heartfelt plea to protect our livelihoods during the peak Diwali season,” he said.
What is at stake
The CTI listed four main worries. The first is parking. It says Ramlila Maidan cannot even park 200 large buses, so there is no space for thousands of vehicles.
The second is the effect on 20 wholesale and retail markets within 5 km of the venue. Together they make daily business worth Rs 10,000-12,000 crore. Among them are Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Connaught Place, Khari Baoli, Karol Bagh and Daryaganj. Some of these markets are up to 300 years old and supply goods to many parts of the country.
The traders say the markets rely on around 5,000 trucks and tempos that arrive daily from 56 industrial areas, including Narela, Bawana and Okhla. Problems could start even earlier. The CTI says buses may begin arriving at Delhi’s borders, such as Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Badarpur, from the afternoon of October 31. Barricades could go up on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and JLN Marg by evening. Some transporters have already refused to send vehicles to the markets from October 31.
The traders also pointed to October 10. Only 5,000 to 7,000 people gathered at Jantar Mantar that day, yet central Delhi stayed jammed for eight hours.
What traders want
The CTI has offered two options. The rally could be held after November 10, or it could be shifted to Burari Maidan if the date cannot change.
Congress’s stand
Rahul Gandhi has called the event a march “to save democracy, to stop vote theft, to save the Constitution”. He says it does not belong to any one party and has invited everyone to join. The CTI had earlier written to him with the same request.
