Patna: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has indicated that the INDIA bloc will consider a request from Delhi’s business community to reschedule its planned rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, saying the opposition alliance will discuss the matter and seek a solution.
Speaking to reporters in Patna on Monday, 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 proposed rally.
“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’ concerns, the Congress chief stressed the importance of the opposition’s nationwide campaign against alleged “vote theft”.
“This issue of ‘vote theft’ is very serious,” Kharge said. “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.”
The response follows a letter sent by CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal to Rahul Gandhi on October 24, urging the alliance to postpone the Ramlila Maidan rally until after November 10.
The trade body cited the potential impact on businesses during the peak festive shopping season, which includes Dhanteras on November 6, Diwali on November 8 and Bhai Dooj on November 10.
In its letter, the CTI said Dhanteras alone generates nearly Rs 25,000 crore in business in Delhi across sectors including gold and jewellery, electronics, apparel and automobiles. It described the period as the biggest sales window of the year and warned that disruptions could affect traders.
The CTI also said traffic diversions in central Delhi earlier in October had already caused estimated losses of Rs 3,000 crore for retail and wholesale traders.
The proposed rally’s location is another concern, according to the trade body. Ramlila Maidan lies within a 5-km radius of nearly 20 major wholesale and retail markets in Delhi, including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Khari Baoli, Bhagirath Palace, Chawri Bazar and Karol Bagh.
The CTI warned that security barricades, road diversions and possible restrictions on metro services around the rally could limit customer access during the busy shopping period.
The letter also highlighted the venue’s proximity to Old Delhi and New Delhi railway stations. Thousands of shoppers and wholesale traders travel to the capital during the festive week, and congestion around the railway stations could create logistical difficulties, it said.
While acknowledging political parties’ right to hold public meetings, the CTI urged the opposition leadership to consider the financial interests of small and medium-sized businesses in the capital and defer the rally until after the festive season.
The trade body expressed hope that Rahul Gandhi, the Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, would consider holding the event after November 10.
Kharge said the alliance would deliberate on the request “today or tomorrow”. A decision is awaited on whether the November 1 rally will proceed as scheduled or be postponed.