Rahul Gandhi alleges BJP forcibly shut Connaught Place shops during rally
Congress MP claimed the BJP caused losses to traders by closing shops ahead of the INDIA bloc protest in Delhi.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged on Sunday, 1 November, that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forcibly closed shops in Connaught Place. Gandhi made these claims while travelling to an INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan, which was organised to protest alleged electoral irregularities and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
According to Mint, Gandhi stated in a video that the opposition had encouraged attendees to shop locally, but found that the BJP had shut down every shop in the area. He said the country should observe how the ruling party is causing losses to shopkeepers.
Chamber of Trade & Industry (CTI) chairman Brijesh Goyal claimed the trading sector in the capital faced estimated losses between ₹10,000 and ₹11,000 crore due to disruptions from the rally. Goyal said that based on data from trader WhatsApp groups, approximately 2,50,000 out of 3,00,000 shops in 20 to 25 major markets remained closed.
New Delhi Traders Association president Atul Bhargava told NDTV that Connaught Place is facing an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. He stated that the area is bearing the brunt of such rallies and called for a court order to prevent protests from passing through the market.
BJP leaders criticised the rally, with JP Nadda alleging that the Congress organised the event during the festive season to strike at the livelihoods of small traders. Home Minister Amit Shah also accused the INDIA bloc of ignoring requests from traders to postpone the march.