Rahul Gandhi asks ‘Chalo Dilli’ participants to back local traders
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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged people attending the mega rally against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to support local traders by making purchases from their shops. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said protests and business activities could go hand in hand, urging participants to buy a few items from local vendors to help them.
Traders had expressed concerns that the Opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi during the festive season would affect their businesses. The BJP had also claimed that the rally would disrupt trade. Against this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi has urged the lakhs of people expected to attend the protest to shop at local markets in the city.
"Along with protesting, marching and attending the rally today, buy a few things as well. This will help our local traders," he said in a video shared on X. "I know our rally will not harm traders. The BJP is spreading such rumours out of fear. But we can do both together," he added.
Rahul Gandhi made the remarks in a short video recorded while travelling in a car. A section of traders had earlier requested that the rally be postponed to another day after Diwali.
The INDIA bloc's ‘Chalo Dilli’ march, organised to protest alleged electoral irregularities and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, will begin at the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction in the afternoon and conclude at Ramlila Maidan. On Saturday, Opposition leaders held a symbolic impeachment event against Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence.
The INDIA bloc expects around one million people to participate in the rally. However, the police have made arrangements for a crowd of 50,000, which is the capacity of Ramlila Maidan. They have said that if the turnout exceeds the venue's capacity, people will be stopped on the surrounding streets. Around 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across central Delhi as part of security arrangements.
Traffic restrictions have also been imposed in several parts of central Delhi from 10 am to 5 pm. Traffic has been diverted at 10 locations, including Netaji Subhash Marg T-point, Rajghat, Delhi Gate and ITO A-point.
The Opposition intensified its protests after a report emerged stating that election commissioners had disagreed with decisions taken by the Election Commission on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months. While the poll panel maintained that all its decisions were unanimous, the report gave fresh momentum to the Opposition's allegations of 'vote chori'.