The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has urged Rahul Gandhi to postpone the India Bloc rally planned for November 1 at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, warning that the event could wipe out up to Rs 10,000 crore in festive trade. CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal wrote to the Congress leader on the matter, and the appeal was reported on October 24, 2026.

The rally, organised under the India Bloc and led by Congress, is aimed at demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Traders are not objecting to the cause. They are objecting to the timing, and the timing lands squarely on the busiest shopping stretch of the year.

Rs 25,000 crore at stake before the lamps are lit

According to the letter, the Dhanteras and Diwali period in the area is expected to generate around Rs 25,000 crore in business. Gold and silver sell in large volumes during these days, along with electronics, clothing, cookware, dry fruits, sweets, vehicles, property deals and gift items.

The chamber argues that the rally would choke that sales run. On the day of the event, business establishments would have to shut down. Police would also need to begin security arrangements in advance, which means disruption would start days before the rally itself.

CTI says the damage would not be limited to November 1. The festive rush typically builds for about a week before the big days, and the rally would cut into that build-up. In other words, the losses would begin well before the crowds reach Ramlila Maidan.

Traders point to October’s rallies

The letter also points to recent history. CTI says traders have already suffered heavily from several rallies held in October. Road blockades, a lack of transport facilities and government restrictions have made it difficult for businesses to operate, the chamber stated.

Traders say they have already taken heavy losses from the rallies held in October, facing road blockades, no transport options and government restrictions, and they are asking for the rally to wait.

That complaint is the core of the chamber’s appeal. The traders are not asking for the rally to be cancelled outright. They are asking for it to be pushed back until after the festive window closes.

The festival calendar the chamber is pointing to

CTI has pointed to a specific calendar. Dhanteras falls on November 6, Diwali on November 8, and Bhai Dooj on November 10. The chamber has suggested that the India Bloc hold its rally only after November 10.

That gap matters. A rally on November 1 would hit the peak of pre-festival buying. A delay of more than a week would move the event past the most important sales days of the season, while still allowing the opposition to hold its demonstration.

The chamber has framed its request as practical rather than political. Its letter asks that the rally be postponed, not that the opposition drop its message. For a Congress-led coalition, that distinction leaves room to negotiate without appearing to back down on the demand for the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation.

Millions of shoppers and shop owners in the crossfire

The stakes extend beyond the trade bodies. Diwali shopping touches jewellers, electronics dealers, garment sellers, sweet shops, dry fruit vendors, car dealerships and property brokers. Each of them depends on a short festive window to earn a large share of the year’s income.

Shoppers also feel the effects. If the rally goes ahead on November 1 and shops shut, buyers planning purchases during the build-up would have fewer places to go and fewer days to do it. The disruption would fall on ordinary families, not only on large retailers.

The political message and the economic warning now sit on the same calendar. Rahul Gandhi and the India Bloc must decide whether to hold the November 1 rally as planned or accept the trade body’s request to wait until after Bhai Dooj.

The Telugu-language report from NT News carries the full letter details. The chamber has put the numbers on the table, and the next move belongs to the rally’s organisers.