Frequent protests by Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal in Delhi, Mumbai hurting trade: BJP’s Harsh Malhotra

New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra on Sunday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of working to destroy the country’s trade by announcing protests on different days in Delhi and Mumbai almost every day since July.

He also raised the suspicion that the two Opposition leaders were aiming to hurt the business community with funding from a foreign power.

“The Congress and Rahul Gandhi, who are attempting to politically destabilise the country as well as damage its economic and commercial activity, have announced a political rally in Delhi on November 1, just before Diwali, which has caused widespread anger among the business community,” he said.

“Not only are the trade bodies CIT, CAIT and Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh opposing the large political rally announced in Delhi on November 1, just before Diwali, but there is also anger within the Sikh community as the Sikh community observes the three days from October 31 to November 2 in remembrance of the 1984 Sikh massacre,” he said.

He said Delhi’s business community is worried about losing business worth crores of rupees and is angry with Congress, while the Sikh community is also distressed over what it considers Congress’s insensitivity towards its emotional sentiments.

“It is unfortunate that Congress has neither any concern for the country’s trade, nor any respect for Diwali, the biggest festival of Hindu society, nor any regard for the sentiments of the Sikh community,” said Malhotra

The Delhi BJP chief said that Congress under Rahul Gandhi, who engages in political theatrics while holding a copy of the Constitution in his hands, has today become the most anarchic party in the country. By insulting the Supreme Court and the Election Commission, it has exposed its anti-Constitutional face.

“As the Delhi BJP President and also as a businessman, I appeal to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to accept the appeal of trade bodies CAIT, CIT and Delhi Vyapar Sangh and suspend all political protests until Diwali and Bhai Dooj,” he said.

He said since July 2026, an opportunistic opposition alliance, particularly Rahul Gandhi, has been trying to create an atmosphere of anarchy in the country.

Malhotra said Kejriwal, with the aim of regaining his lost political relevance, got the “NEET” examination movement started and then tried to occupy the opposition space in the country by creating the “Cockroach Janta Party”.

From here, a battle for dominance emerged between Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc on one side, and Kejriwal on the other, over who can become the bigger anarchic opposition force, he said.

In this sequence, politically irrelevant figures such as Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and farmer leaders also keep jumping into this battle for dominance, he said.

Malhotra said that while Delhi is the national capital, it is also the country’s second-largest commercial centre, whereas Mumbai is the country’s largest business centre, and such regular protests are hurting the business community and the economy.

–IANS

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