Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal on 24 October 2026 urged Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to postpone the Congress party's proposed mega rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on 1 November, warning that holding a large political demonstration during the peak festive shopping season could inflict severe losses on traders and disrupt commercial activity across the national Capital.

What Khandelwal Said

Khandelwal, who represents Delhi's trading community as a long-standing voice of commerce in Parliament, claimed that recent protests in Delhi had already resulted in estimated business losses of around ₹4,000 crore. He called for the rally to be rescheduled and proposed that a venue in the Outer Delhi region be considered instead, to minimise disruption to livelihoods.

'The entire country has seen that protests, demonstrations and similar activities in Delhi in recent times have caused business losses of approximately ₹4,000 crore. The sales for the entire year are one thing, while sales from October to January are another. In such a situation, another rally by Rahul Gandhi will certainly affect businesses and cause significant losses to traders,' Khandelwal said.

He added: 'It would be better to postpone this rally, and I would request you all, on behalf of Delhi traders, to let them trade, and a place should be decided for such a protest in Outer Delhi region so it won't affect livelihoods.'

Why the Festive Window Matters

Khandelwal highlighted Delhi's status as one of India's premier trading hubs, noting that buyers from multiple states converge on the Capital during the festive period to purchase goods in bulk. He argued that rally-related restrictions — including traffic diversions, barricading, and road closures ordered by the administration — could discourage out-of-state buyers or prevent them from reaching wholesale and retail markets, compounding losses across several sectors.

The October–January window accounts for a disproportionately large share of annual trade revenue for Delhi's markets, making even a two-to-three-day disruption consequential for small and medium traders who depend on festive-season cash flows.

Traders' Body Also Writes to Gandhi

Separately, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) — an organisation representing traders and entrepreneurs in Delhi — also wrote to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on the same day, formally requesting that the 1 November rally be pushed back to after 10 November.

CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal warned that traffic diversions, barricading, and road closures stemming from the event could disrupt commerce across Delhi's major wholesale and retail markets. He estimated that the rally's impact could extend over three to four days, potentially affecting trade worth up to ₹10,000 crore during the festive period.

CTI urged the Congress leadership to weigh traders' concerns carefully and reschedule the rally after the peak Diwali shopping dates had passed.

Political Context

The Congress has not yet responded publicly to either appeal as of the time of this report. The proposed Ramlila Maidan rally is widely seen as a significant political mobilisation exercise for the party ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly election cycle. Notably, Ramlila Maidan — located in Central Delhi — is one of the city's most prominent mass-gathering venues, and events there routinely trigger wide-area traffic and commercial disruption. Whether the party accommodates the traders' request or proceeds as planned is expected to become a flashpoint in Delhi's pre-election political discourse.