'Ball is in their court': Congress asks PM Modi to sack CEC if concerned about Delhi traders

NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Amit Shah must sack Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar if they are genuinely concerned about Delhi's traders and want to stop the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan.In a post on X, Congress MP Pawan Khera said the government's refusal to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar was the real issue, not the protests."If Modi and Shah are truly concerned about Delhi’s traders and genuinely want to stop the 1st November rally, they must sack Gyanesh Gupta and address our demands immediately. The ball is in their court," Khera said."Protests, rallies and demonstrations demanding an end to ECI-administered Vote Chori and election rigging for the RSS-BJP are acts of patriotism. The protests are not the problem. The problem is the government’s obstinacy to save the chair of a bureaucrat who wins elections for them. Delhi’s traders, too, must fulfil their patriotic duty by demanding that the government remove Gyanesh Babu," he added.This comes after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity with Delhi's traders and accused the government of disrupting business by shutting metro services, sealing roads and locking down the capital."To every trader in Delhi: We love you and hear you. The Govt shut the metro, sealed our roads and locked down our capital. With a stolen vote nothing is safe - your shop, your savings, your children’s future. Tell Modi to sack accused no. 4, Gyanesh Kumar and the protests will stop in 30 seconds," Rahul said.Earlier on Saturday, traders had urged Rahul and the Congress to call off their protests, citing business losses as they were forced to shut their establishments amid demonstrations.The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) also urged Rahul to postpone the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan, warning that the demonstration could disrupt business worth Rs 10,000 crore during the peak Diwali shopping season."This year, Dhanteras falls on Friday, November 6, Diwali on November 8 and Bhai Dooj on November 10. People begin shopping for Dhanteras and Diwali a week in advance. In Delhi alone, Dhanteras-related business across sectors such as gold and silver, utensils, electronics, textiles, dry fruits, sweets, automobiles, vehicles, property and gift items amounts to approximately Rs 25,000 crore. This trade is the backbone of Delhi's economy," the letter read.The traders' body said markets typically see a surge in activity about a week before festivals, raising concerns over the timing of the rally. CTI president Goyal added that traders in Delhi had already suffered losses of around Rs 3,000 crore in October due to rallies, marches and road closures in Connaught Place, India Gate and central Delhi.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.