New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Traders and sweet shop owners in Delhi on Tuesday urged the Congress party and other INDIA bloc leaders to postpone their November 1 rally until after Diwali, expressing concerns that the event could disrupt business during the crucial festive season.
They said the rally would be the fifth such event in four months, adding that repeated demonstrations had affected commercial activities and caused financial losses to traders.
Speaking to IANS, Mukesh Gupta, President of the Bengali Market Traders Association, said the repeated rallies had severely affected the business of shopkeepers and traders, leaving many struggling to support their families.
"Rallies are not being held for the first time on November 1. This is the fifth rally in the last four months. This has completely ruined the businesses of shopkeepers and traders. Business owners are unable to support even their wives and children. There is hardly any purchasing, shopping or business activity. Shops often have to be closed, and there is also a fear of vandalism. Why are these rallies being held, and for what purpose? I do not know why these people do this," he said.
Gupta urged political leaders to resolve their differences through discussions rather than organising rallies that inconvenience the public and affect businesses.
"They should sit together and resolve their issues. Ideally, there should be no rallies. If they are held, they should take place at locations where they do not affect anyone. We have also been asking them not to hold this rally, and traders and others are making the same request. Even people in the government are saying that this rally should not take place," he said.
Gupta added that traders had made repeated appeals to Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, to reconsider the date.
"We have made a strong request, and everyone has asked them to reconsider. Kharge ji and Rahul ji should think about this. If they hold the rally after Diwali, nobody will suffer losses or face inconvenience," he said.
Varjesh Aggarwal, owner of Bengali Sweet House and Pastry Shop, also expressed concern over the potential impact of the rally on businesses during the festive season.
"Looking at the announcement of this rally, it seems that all traders will suffer considerable losses because Diwali is one of the main festivals, and everyone, big or small, looks forward to it. This one-day rally will also have several ripple effects. I think business activity will remain very slow for two to three days. There will be traffic jams, and many people will also come from outside for the rally," he told IANS.
Aggarwal acknowledged that citizens had a democratic right to express their views peacefully but maintained that the timing of the rally could create difficulties for traders and the general public.
"Every citizen has a democratic right to express their views peacefully, and we truly respect that. But holding this rally so close to the festival will definitely affect businesses. As traders and business owners, we can make just one humble request: if they could reschedule the rally for after Diwali, it would be better. That way, their democratic right would also be preserved, public convenience would be maintained, and businesses could continue their work without disruption," he said.
Meanwhile, Sanjeev Mehra, President of the Khan Market Traders Association, said repeated appeals from traders had failed to persuade the Congress leadership to reconsider its plans.
"Our letters are having no impact on the Congress party or Rahul Gandhi, and I do not understand what their objective is. We had appealed to them not to hold protests during the festive season, as this causes significant losses to traders. It seems they are determined to keep the economy, which they once called 'dead', in that condition. If we cannot earn during the peak business season, our workers and their families will suffer. Then they will achieve their objective of claiming that unemployment has increased," Mehra said.
Questioning political parties over the repeated disruption of commercial activities, Mehra said traders were consistently bearing the financial burden of protests and demonstrations.
"My question is directed at every political party: are we traders the only ones who must keep suffering? We are always the ones bearing the brunt. Our appeal has been rejected. Yesterday, they posted on Twitter that we should approach the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister is not listening to you despite all your efforts, why would he listen to traders?" he said.
Mehra further alleged that the Congress had made a pattern of demanding the resignation of constitutional and political leaders, adding that traders were concerned about the impact of such developments on their livelihoods. He said the festive season was particularly important for businesses and appealed to political parties to consider the economic consequences of their decisions.
--IANS
