Congress-BJP Face-off: Delhi’s Traders Caught in the Crossfire of Competitive Politics

The INDIA bloc leaders have started leaving the house of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and are heading towards Minto Bridge, from where the rally towards Ramlila Maidan will begin. Rahul Gandhi has left the place in an open jeep, sitting in the front seat, while other leaders like Akilesh Yadav, Farooque Abdullah and Mamta Banerjee are in another jeep. Buses have been arranged for the MPs to reach Minto Bridge.

There has been a lot of cadre mobilisation from various states. The big question is whether the public meeting ends as per schedule or if there is any showdown. The police had given permission for the rally till 5 pm. It is already past 1 pm and there are speculations that Rahul Gandhi may decide to do something more soon after the rally is over.

The Congress leaders deny any such move and say that there will be no such drama at Ramlila Maidan as leaders have to go back.

It may be mentioned here that the main party which has been shouldering the support for the Congress party in the street protests was SP. It is great optics on a Sunday afternoon.

On the other hand, the BJP held its counter rally in Haryana. The BJP national president Nitin Nabi said Sunday was a day of Haryana formation day and also a sad day when Sikhs were massacred after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Rahul’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, simply remarked that when a big tree falls, tremors are felt. Instead of feeling sorry and apologising, the Congress is holding a rally.

It was the Congress PM and Rahul’s grandmother who imposed the emergency when she could not win the election and when the court gave a verdict against her. She amended the Constitution, depriving people of all fundamental rights, and had put all leaders, students, and all those who even whispered anything against the government in jail. It is this party which is today talking of saving the Constitution and is being supported by other parties which lost elections. By not accepting the people’s verdict, they are insulting the voters. It is the trust chori by opposition, not vote chori, he added.

On the other hand, 80 percent of the shops in Old Delhi have pulled down their shutters. Normally during festive season, shops in these areas are kept open as maximum sales takes place. But fearing trouble, road blocks, they have shut their shops. The president of Chamber of Trade and Industry Goyal said that the opposition parties turned down their plea and made them suffer financial loss to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore.

He said Rahul Gandhi asked the participants to do Diwali shopping in Delhi, but it's more of a joke because the crowds mobilised come with a different purpose and they don’t do any shopping. He said the traders keep their fingers crossed and would be happy if the end of the rally was peaceful and no damage is caused to their property.

Meanwhile, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the party's protest rally against CEC Gyanesh Kumar to be held during the day at Ramlila grounds in the national capital was a "stern warning" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the Congress is consistent in its demand that the CEC has to go. BJP is shaken and hence holding counter protests.

Venugopal told the media in Delhi that it will be a protest like never before and that it has affected the composure of the PM and Home Minister.

"They have lost their composure seeing the magnitude of the public support for the protest. That is why they are making statements that the protestors are anarchists and the agitation was an insult to the Parliament. The protest is a stern warning to them," the Congress leader said. "Gyanesh will be removed from his post. Take it from us," he added.

Another comment by Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh that the resolution of impeachment has been passed and Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign has drawn flak from the BJP. They said she should know how a resolution is passed and what is the validity of passing resolutions in street dramas.

However, it remains to be seen whether the opposition will succeed in influencing the people or will it be the BJP which will have an upper hand in its campaign.

Though no permission was sought for the rally from Minto Bridge to Ramlila Maidan, the police decided not to stop the leaders going in the rally to Ramlila Maidan. Venugopal also said that it would be "g

The INDIA bloc leaders have started leaving the house of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and are heading towards Minto Bridge, from where the rally towards Ramlila Maidan will begin. Rahul Gandhi has left the place in an open jeep, sitting in the front seat, while other leaders like Akilesh Yadav, Farooque Abdullah and Mamta Banerjee are in another jeep. Buses have been arranged for the MPs to reach Minto Bridge.

There has been a lot of cadre mobilisation from various states. The big question is whether the public meeting ends as per schedule or if there is any showdown. The police had given permission for the rally till 5 pm. It is already past 1 pm and there are speculations that Rahul Gandhi may decide to do something more soon after the rally is over.

The Congress leaders deny any such move and say that there will be no such drama at Ramlila Maidan as leaders have to go back.

It may be mentioned here that the main party which has been shouldering the support for the Congress party in the street protests was SP. It is great optics on a Sunday afternoon.

On the other hand, the BJP held its counter rally in Haryana. The BJP national president Nitin Nabi said Sunday was a day of Haryana formation day and also a sad day when Sikhs were massacred after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Rahul’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, simply remarked that when a big tree falls, tremors are felt. Instead of feeling sorry and apologising, the Congress is holding a rally.

It was the Congress PM and Rahul’s grandmother who imposed the emergency when she could not win the election and when the court gave a verdict against her. She amended the Constitution, depriving people of all fundamental rights, and had put all leaders, students, and all those who even whispered anything against the government in jail. It is this party which is today talking of saving the Constitution and is being supported by other parties which lost elections. By not accepting the people’s verdict, they are insulting the voters. It is the trust chori by opposition, not vote chori, he added.

On the other hand, 80 percent of the shops in Old Delhi have pulled down their shutters. Normally during festive season, shops in these areas are kept open as maximum sales takes place. But fearing trouble, road blocks, they have shut their shops. The president of Chamber of Trade and Industry Goyal said that the opposition parties turned down their plea and made them suffer financial loss to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore.

He said Rahul Gandhi asked the participants to do Diwali shopping in Delhi, but it's more of a joke because the crowds mobilised come with a different purpose and they don’t do any shopping. He said the traders keep their fingers crossed and would be happy if the end of the rally was peaceful and no damage is caused to their property.

Meanwhile, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the party's protest rally against CEC Gyanesh Kumar to be held during the day at Ramlila grounds in the national capital was a "stern warning" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the Congress is consistent in its demand that the CEC has to go. BJP is shaken and hence holding counter protests.

Venugopal told the media in Delhi that it will be a protest like never before and that it has affected the composure of the PM and Home Minister.

"They have lost their composure seeing the magnitude of the public support for the protest. That is why they are making statements that the protestors are anarchists and the agitation was an insult to the Parliament. The protest is a stern warning to them," the Congress leader said. "Gyanesh will be removed from his post. Take it from us," he added.

Another comment by Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh that the resolution of impeachment has been passed and Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign has drawn flak from the BJP. They said she should know how a resolution is passed and what is the validity of passing resolutions in street dramas.

However, it remains to be seen whether the opposition will succeed in influencing the people or will it be the BJP which will have an upper hand in its campaign.

Though no permission was sought for the rally from Minto Bridge to Ramlila Maidan, the police decided not to stop the leaders going in the rally to Ramlila Maidan. Venugopal also said that it would be "good for the police" if they cooperate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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