CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Delhi: New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party after several shops were found closed in Delhi’s Connaught Place. Rahul Gandhi, who was on his way to attend the INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November, alleged that the BJP had forcibly got shops in the market shut, causing financial losses to traders.
In a social media message, Rahul Gandhi said he had already appealed to people coming to Delhi for the rally to shop in local markets so that traders could benefit during the festive season. However, when he reached Connaught Place, he found several shops closed. He asked who was responsible for causing losses to traders.
In fact, before the INDIA bloc rally, traders’ organisations had objected to the date of the event. Organisations including the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) had expressed apprehension that the arrival of a large number of people and vehicles in Delhi would affect traffic and could hit market business ahead of Diwali. Traders had also requested that the rally be held after the festive season.
However, Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that all shops in Connaught Place were forcibly shut could not be independently confirmed. According to reports from the spot, shops in some parts of the market were closed for some time, while customer footfall remained low in many shops that were open. Vehicles of people who had come for the rally were also parked in parking areas.
After these developments, political allegations and counter-allegations between the Congress and the BJP intensified over the rally’s economic impact and traders’ concerns.
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