Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is considering rescheduling the opposition’s November 1 Delhi rally following requests from traders concerned about festive season business disruptions and potential logistical challenges in the city.
Kharge Addresses Concerns Over Opposition Rally
Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday indicated that the leadership will deliberate on a request made by Delhi’s business community to reschedule the opposition alliance’s mega demonstration, assuring that a solution will be reached soon. Addressing reporters in Patna, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge acknowledged that the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) had submitted representations to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the INDIA bloc’s planned rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. “The rally is scheduled for November 1. We have received an appeal from the traders. We will think about it today or tomorrow and find a solution because what we are doing is also for the public and for them,” Kharge said.
While expressing willingness to consider the traders’ plight, the Congress chief underscored the overarching significance of the opposition’s nationwide campaign against alleged “vote theft”. “This issue of ‘vote theft’ is very serious,” Kharge emphasised. “If people do not have the right to vote, no trader can conduct business, and no student aspiring to build a future will receive any support. Still, we have received their request, and we will consider it.”
Trader Concerns and Logistics
The response comes after CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal wrote to Rahul Gandhi on October 24, urging the alliance to postpone the Ramlila Maidan event until after November 10. The trade body cited potential business disruptions during the peak festive shopping season, which includes Dhanteras (Nov 6), Diwali (Nov 8) and Bhai Dooj (Nov 10). In its letter, the CTI laid out why the timing of the rally is a major concern for Delhi’s traders. According to the body, Dhanteras alone drives nearly Rs 25,000 crore worth of business in Delhi — from gold and jewellery to electronics, apparel and automobiles. This is the biggest sales window of the year, and any disruption could hit traders hard.
The CTI pointed out that traffic diversions in central Delhi earlier in October had already cost retail and wholesale traders an estimated Rs 3,000 crore in losses. The bigger worry, it said, is location. Ramlila Maidan sits within a 5-km radius of nearly 20 of Delhi’s largest wholesale and retail markets — Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Khari Baoli, Bhagirath Palace, Chawri Bazar, Karol Bagh and others. Security barricades, road diversions and possible metro curbs around the rally could cut off customer access right at peak shopping time.
Impact on Festive Connectivity
The letter also flagged the venue’s proximity to Old Delhi and New Delhi railway stations. With thousands of outstation shoppers and wholesale traders travelling into the capital during the festive week, congestion around these transit hubs could create severe logistical bottlenecks, it said. While acknowledging the right of political parties to hold public meetings, the CTI urged the opposition leadership to consider the financial health of small and medium businesses in the capital and defer the rally until after the festive season. The letter expressed hope that the Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, would understand the concerns of traders and consider holding the rally after November 10. With Kharge stating that internal deliberations would be held “today or tomorrow,” the alliance is expected to announce shortly whether the November 1 event will go ahead as planned or be moved to a post-festival date. (ANI)
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