The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written a strongly worded letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, expressing concern over the significant business losses allegedly suffered by traders due to protests organised by the Opposition INDIA bloc in Delhi during the festive season.
The letter comes days after the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) estimated that the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan had resulted in business losses of around Rs 11,000 crore.
In its letter, CAIT questioned the political and moral responsibility of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party for supporting demonstrations that, according to the traders' body, severely disrupted economic activities in the national capital during the festive season.
“Rahul Gandhi cannot hold two contradictory positions simultaneously. On one hand, he appeals to people to purchase from local markets, while on the other, he supports political activities and demonstrations that prevent customers from reaching those very markets. This is not merely political inconsistency; it is a glaring contradiction that directly hurts the livelihoods of ordinary traders,” CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia said in the letter.
Accusing the Congress leader of selectively interpreting constitutional rights, Bhartia questioned whether the Right to Protest takes precedence over the Right to Trade and Earn a Livelihood.
“Is Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution meant only for speeches and books, or does it also protect the millions of small traders, shopkeepers, street vendors and working families whose livelihoods depend on their daily earnings? Political leaders cannot selectively invoke constitutional provisions while conveniently disregarding the rights of others,” he said.
CAIT also posed five pointed questions to Rahul Gandhi, seeking clarity on the Congress Party's position.
First, is the Right to Protest more important than the Right to Trade and Earn a Livelihood? Second, is it politically and morally justified to hold the commercial life of the national capital hostage, and who will compensate the affected traders for their losses? Third, how can Rahul Gandhi urge people to shop at local markets while supporting demonstrations that prevent customers from reaching them? Fourth, does the Congress Party and its political allies accept responsibility for the economic hardships caused by the demonstrations they supported? Finally, would Rahul Gandhi accept similar prolonged disruptions if his own business, livelihood or daily earnings were affected?
CAIT said it would await Rahul Gandhi's response to the letter. Meanwhile, the traders' body plans to convene a crucial national-level meeting of Delhi traders and prominent trade leaders from across the country after Diwali to decide its future course of action.
“The trading community of India is not so weak that it will continue to tolerate such circumstances indefinitely. The time has come to send a strong message and hold those responsible accountable,” the letter stated.
Earlier, CTI, in a statement, claimed that the INDIA bloc's November 1 protest had caused business losses worth Rs 11,000 crore. According to the organisation, retail and wholesale traders alone suffered losses estimated at Rs 8,800 crore, as commercial activity came to a standstill within a five-kilometre radius of Ramlila Maidan.
