New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Amid the growing calls and requests by trade bodies to the INDIA Bloc, entreating the latter to postpone their protest march in the capital on November 1, an ‘insensitive and inconsiderate’ comment by a senior Congress leader is set to ruffle many feathers and invite backlash from the community.
Sandeep Dikshit, speaking to IANS, sought to downplay the impact of the Opposition’s protest on the festive sales in the run-up to Diwali and said that those who arrive in the capital would also buy and consume something.
“What difference will it make if businesses are affected for one day? Sales will pick up the next day, and business will continue the day after that as well,” Sandeep Dikshit said, replying to complaints and reservations expressed by the trading community.
Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, further said that if 7-10 lakh people come to Delhi from outside, they will also buy something during those four to six hours. Some people will buy samosas, some will eat kachoris, some will have tea, while others will buy water bottles or packets of potato chips. Some may eat ‘chowmein’ at a shop, while others may have ‘aloo- puri’ on their way back.
According to estimates, the Opposition is eyeing a massive turnout of 10 lakh people during the November 1 rally, and traders fear that this may incur humongous losses for the business community, amounting to Rs 10,000 crores during the peak Diwali shopping season.
Notably, many trade unions, traders and businesses have been urging Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party to reschedule their ‘Chalo Delhi’ march after November 10 (post-Diwali), claiming that the weekend preceding Diwali festivities invites huge customer footfalls and if the protest at Ramlila Maidan goes on the slated date, it will cause severe losses to the wholesale as well as retail traders.
Responding to these claims, Dikshit alleged that the big traders, with close association and affiliation with the BJP, are deliberately pushing a certain narrative and also questioned why the smaller businesses should suffer at their cost.
“Delhi has thousands and lakhs of small traders who could benefit from this. Their businesses will also grow. Why are you thinking only about yourselves?” he asked, while pointing fingers at the businesses with ‘close ties’ with the ruling establishment.
According to an assessment by the CTI, traders in Delhi have already suffered losses of around Rs 3,000 crore in October due to rallies, protest marches and road blockades in Connaught Place, India Gate and Central Delhi.
–IANS
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