The organisation expressed “deep anguish and resentment” over rallies, marches and protests during the past month, singling out the Congress-led INDIA bloc gathering at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. It questioned the Congress party’s continued support for demonstrations that it said had obstructed customers and affected businesses during the festive shopping period.
CAIT national president B C Bhartia said the organisation would await Gandhi’s response before convening a national meeting of Delhi traders and business representatives from other states after Diwali. The meeting will determine further action, including the date of a proposed nationwide protest described as Dhikkar Diwas, or Day of Condemnation.
Bhartia challenged Gandhi to explain how his appeal to rally participants to shop in Delhi markets could be reconciled with political gatherings that traders said made those markets difficult to reach. Gandhi had urged people attending the November 1 demonstration to support local businesses by making purchases while visiting the capital.
The traders’ organisation asked whether the Congress and its allies accepted responsibility for hardship allegedly caused by demonstrations they supported. It also sought an explanation of who would compensate shopkeepers and working families for commercial losses attributed to traffic restrictions, reduced customer access and interrupted movement of goods.
CAIT did not provide an independently verified assessment of the total losses in its latest communication. The extent to which individual businesses were affected, and whether disruption resulted directly from the rally rather than other factors, remains contested.
The November 1 demonstration was organised by opposition parties to protest alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Opposition leaders also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Their complaints concern the conduct of electoral processes, which they argue warrants public mobilisation and scrutiny.
Gandhi had publicly encouraged those travelling to Delhi for the rally to combine participation in the protest with shopping. His appeal followed warnings from traders that holding a large gathering immediately before Diwali could affect sales at a particularly important time for retailers and wholesalers.
The Chamber of Trade and Industry, a separate Delhi-based organisation, had asked Gandhi to postpone the demonstration until after the festival. Its chairman, Brijesh Goyal, warned that shops in markets around Ramlila Maidan could close and that transport restrictions might deter customers. Those warnings were projections made before the event, not independently established losses. The chamber estimated that hundreds of thousands of shops could be affected, but the figures reflected its expectations ahead of the rally and should not be treated as a confirmed count of closures.
The chamber identified Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Chawri Bazar, Khari Baoli and other commercial districts as vulnerable to disruption. It sought discussions between Gandhi and representatives of affected markets, arguing that the timing of the gathering mattered as much as its political purpose.
CAIT’s latest letter also raised a constitutional argument. Bhartia referred to Article 19(1)(a), protecting freedom of speech and expression, and Article 19(1)(g), protecting the freedom to practise a profession or carry on trade or business. He argued that political activity should not prevent others from earning a livelihood.
The organisation acknowledged the democratic importance of peaceful protest but maintained that competing rights needed to be respected. Its position does not establish that every inconvenience associated with a demonstration amounts to a constitutional violation; that question depends on the circumstances and applicable legal restrictions.
On November 2, CAIT separately approached Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, requesting officially designated protest locations on the capital’s outskirts. It said moving large demonstrations away from major trading areas could reduce interference with commercial activity while preserving opportunities for public assembly.
That representation identified shopkeepers, street vendors, transport workers, delivery personnel and daily wage earners among those vulnerable to interruptions. CAIT argued that disruptions affected not only individual establishments but also people whose earnings depend on uninterrupted market access and movement throughout the city.
The proposed national meeting is expected to bring together representatives of Delhi’s trading associations and trade leaders from elsewhere in the country. CAIT has not announced a date for that meeting or for the planned nationwide observance.
