Traders’ associations filed formal appeals on Oct 12‑13, demanding Rahul Gandhi rethink road blockades in Delhi amid protests against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The protests are part of a wider opposition drive that seeks the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, scrapping of the SIR, and a return to paper ballots.
Traders say they stock up on goods and take loans before Diwali, relying on the festival’s sales spike; road closures are driving customers away and causing real‑world losses.
Ajay Gupta of the National Traders Welfare Board said the demonstrations “create an atmosphere of anarchy” and that small traders bear the brunt, urging protests to stop harming the common man.
Ghanshyam Das Goyal and Prakash Purgal warned that closures during Dussehra‑Diwali could cripple small businesses, calling for disputes to be resolved through dialogue instead of road blockades.
Rahul’s next move remains uncertain; the opposition will await his response before deciding whether to intensify or scale back the protests.