The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) sent a formal letter to Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on October 30, urging her to shift the INDIA bloc’s massive November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan to a post‑Diwali date, warning that 10 lakh participants and up to 20,000 vehicles could choke roads and halt daily business worth Rs 12,000 crore.
CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the rally’s projected 1 million footfall and 15,000‑20,000 buses and cars would block access to 20 historic markets within five kilometres of the venue, from Chandni Chowk to Karol Bhagh.
The association estimates that the grid‑lock could bring those markets to a standstill on October 31, disrupting the supply of festive goods and forcing traders to delay shipments; a local shopkeeper in Chandni Chowk said that a stoppage would mean lost sales of ₹2 million before Diwali.
Delhi police have granted a conditional permit for the rally from 10 am to 5 pm, directing organisers to park only at designated spots, but CTI insists that the proposed venue lacks parking for even 200 large buses and that vehicles may spill onto major arteries like J‑N‑M, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhash Marg.
Goyal added that if the rally proceeds, transporters are already pulling back from dispatching goods on October 31, fearing barricades, and that the trade body will file a complaint with the Delhi High Court if no action is taken.