Tell Modi to sack Gyanesh, protests will stop in 30 sec: Rahul to traders

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged Delhi’s traders to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying protests against alleged electoral irregularities would stop within 30 seconds if the demand were met.

“Tell Modi to sack accused no. 4, Gyanesh Kumar and the protests will stop in 30 seconds,” Gandhi said in a post on X, addressing traders who have urged him to postpone the INDIA bloc’s rally scheduled for 1 November.

“We love you and hear you,” Gandhi said, alleging that the government had shut metro services, sealed roads and locked down the national capital. He added that “with a stolen vote nothing is safe — your shop, your savings, your children's future”.

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has asked Gandhi to defer the rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan until after 10 November, warning that it could disrupt business worth Rs 10,000 crore during the peak Diwali shopping season.

In a letter to Gandhi, CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the rally could affect wholesale and retail markets around Ramlila Maidan when traders expect a surge in customers ahead of Dhanteras and Diwali.

Goyal said Delhi typically records business worth around Rs 25,000 crore across sectors including gold and silver, electronics, clothing, utensils, dry fruits, sweets, automobiles, property and gifts around Dhanteras, which falls on 6 November this year.

Diwali will be celebrated on 8 November, followed by Bhai Dooj on 10 November.

The traders’ body said markets generally see increased activity in the week before the festivals and urged Gandhi to schedule the rally after 10 November to avoid disrupting business.

The INDIA bloc’s rally is intended to intensify pressure on the government over allegations of “vote chori” and demand Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

On 12 October, opposition leaders, activists and civil society members took part in a ‘March for Democracy’ in Delhi, protesting against the SIR and filing a joint petition against the exercise.

Gandhi hosted INDIA bloc leaders at his residence on 13 October. Following the meeting, the opposition alliance vowed to continue its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.