New Delhi, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Sunday warned of a major disruption to Delhi’s business community due to the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan, claiming that around 2.5 lakh shops within a five-kilometre radius of the venue were likely to remain closed and nearly 80 per cent of business activity could come to a standstill.
The traders’ body said the rally could also disrupt transportation and the movement of goods across a 10-kilometre radius, affecting markets in Central Delhi and Old Delhi during the crucial pre-Diwali shopping season.
CTI has written a fourth letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, highlighting the potential impact of the rally on the capital’s trading community.
While welcoming Gandhi’s video appeal urging rally participants to visit Delhi markets and shop to support local traders, CTI said the ground situation was markedly different, with widespread panic and uncertainty among shopkeepers and customers.
CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said that although Gandhi had appealed to participants to support local businesses, around 2.5 lakh of the nearly three lakh shops in markets within five kilometres of Ramlila Maidan were expected to remain closed.
“When the shops themselves will remain closed, where will the people attending the rally go for shopping?” Goyal asked.
Rejecting allegations that traders were acting as agents of the BJP, Goyal said around 100 major market associations had appealed for the rally to be postponed to protect their livelihoods during the peak festive season.
“We are traders, not BJP agents. These 100 major market associations are not agents of any political party. They are traders of Delhi, and their business is trade, not politics. We are neither in favour of nor against any political party. We were only appealing to protect our livelihoods during the peak Diwali season,” he said.
The CTI estimated that the closure of around 2.5 lakh shops could bring nearly 80 per cent of business activity to a halt.
Goyal also warned that goods transportation within a 10-kilometre radius of the rally venue was likely to be severely affected, with loading and unloading operations expected to remain suspended.
He said around 5,000 trucks and tempos carrying goods from 56 industrial areas, including Narela, Bawana, Okhla, Mayapuri, Mundka and Udyog Nagar, normally reached these markets every day.
“The entire supply chain has been disrupted today. Goods meant for the Dhanteras season are lying in warehouses and cannot reach the shops,” he said.
The traders’ body further claimed that customers from neighbouring cities and towns, including Sonipat, Panipat, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut, Bahadurgarh and Jhajjar, were also likely to avoid visiting Delhi due to concerns over traffic congestion and market closures.
Goyal questioned the arrangements for parking an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 buses, cars and tempos expected to transport rally participants.
He warned that vehicle movement and parking along JLN Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg, Ajmeri Gate and Chandni Chowk Road could lead to severe congestion across Central and Old Delhi.
The CTI said the disruption could affect the festive-season business of around 20 major markets, which it estimated at Rs 10,000-12,000 crore daily. With Dhanteras scheduled for November 6 and Diwali for November 8, the traders’ body described November 1 as a crucial day for festive preparations and shopping.
It added that the livelihoods of around 20 lakh traders and 75 lakh people associated with the trading ecosystem could be affected.
Reiterating its position, the organisation clarified that it was not opposed to the opposition rally but wanted business activities and public movement to continue without disruption.
“We are saying once again that we are not against the rally. Hold your rally, but not at the cost of the Diwali business of 20 markets. Rahul Gandhi ji, you are asking people to visit markets, but when the markets and shops are closed, transportation is stalled, and roads are blocked, where will the people attending the rally go shopping? First, ensure that the roads remain open,” the CTI said in its appeal.
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