Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of forcing shops to close in Delhi’s Connaught Place

Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of forcibly closing shops in Connaught Place during the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi. The Chamber of Trade and Industry had warned that the event could disrupt business and leave thousands of shops closed.

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of “forcibly closing shops” in Delhi’s Connaught Place area, a day after he appealed to those participating in the INDIA bloc’s ‘Dilli Chalo’ rally to do shopping from local traders.

Gandhi made the allegation in a video message posted on his official X account as he took part in the rally against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.

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“We told everyone that when you come here for the march and the mega rally, make purchases and shop locally. However, when we arrived here at Connaught Place, we found out that the BJP had forcibly got all the shops shut down,” he said.

“So, you can see who is causing losses to the traders and how those losses are being caused,” he added.

This comes after the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Sunday wrote a fourth letter to Gandhi over the potential impact of the rally on the national capital’s trading community.

The CTI warned of an unprecedented crisis for Delhi’s business community due to the INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, claiming that around 2.5 lakh shops within a five-kilometre radius of the venue are likely to remain closed, while nearly 80 per cent of business activity could come to a standstill.

The traders’ body said the rally could also disrupt transportation and movement of goods across a 10-kilometre radius, affecting markets in Central Delhi and Old Delhi during the crucial pre-Diwali shopping season.

Welcoming Gandhi’s video appeal asking people attending the rally to visit Delhi’s markets and shop to support traders, the CTI said the ground situation was entirely different, with widespread panic and uncertainty among shopkeepers and customers.

CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said that although Gandhi had urged rally participants to support local businesses, the prevailing situation had created such panic that around 2.5 lakh of the approximately three lakh shops in markets within a five-kilometre radius of Ramlila Maidan were expected to remain closed.

Earlier on Sunday, the LoP urged people to join the INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ march in the national capital, calling for public participation in the protest against alleged electoral irregularities and demanding the resignation of the CEC.