Delhi traders ask Akhilesh, Mamata to delay INDIA bloc rally past Diwali
Wholesale market bodies say a November 1 Ramlila Maidan rally could hit festive sales in a city where Dhanteras-to-Diwali trade runs to about Rs 25,000 crore.
Delhi's traders have a request for the opposition: move the rally, not the sales. Two market bodies, the Federation of Sadar Bazar Trades Association and the Kirana Committee Delhi, have written to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. They want the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan postponed until after Diwali on November 8.
The letters ask the two leaders to raise the matter with the Congress leadership. The traders' worry is simple: the festive season is when shops earn the most, and a big political gathering in central Delhi could keep shoppers away.
The numbers in the letters are the associations' own estimates. They say trade worth around Rs 25,000 crore happens in Delhi between Dhanteras and Diwali. They also say protests, rallies and traffic restrictions in September and October already cost the city's markets around Rs 3,000 crore. Another large event in peak season, they warn, could add losses of up to Rs 10,000 crore.
Geography is a big part of the argument. According to the associations, about 20 major wholesale and retail markets sit within 5 km of Ramlila Maidan. These include Sadar Bazaar, Khari Baoli and Chandni Chowk, which are among the capital's busiest trading hubs.
The traders say the damage would not stop at shop owners. Road closures, traffic curbs and crowding can slow down customers and delay the movement of goods. That would also affect workers, delivery persons and others who depend on daily market activity for their income.
The associations framed their appeal as a matter of timing. Political programmes can be rescheduled, they said, but businesses cannot recover sales lost during the year's most important trading period.
There was no response from the INDIA bloc leaders in the source report. Whether the rally date changes will show how much weight market concerns carry as parties plan their shows of strength.
Source: The Daily Pioneer
