New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): Traders at Khan Market on Tuesday said ongoing opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have brought business to a standstill, urging the Supreme Court to shift the protest site to the Delhi border.
Speaking to ANI, Khan Market Traders Association President Sanjeev Mehra said police barricading has cut off access to the market.
“For the past few days, business has been taking a hit because of these protests. The police have set up a perimeter to stop the protestors, which starts 1 Km before our market. Due to this, our customers are having a lot of trouble getting around. The market is open, but there are no customers and the business is completely at a standstill. We are only able to do about 10% to 20% of our business,” he said.
Mehra said the festive season had failed to bring in shoppers.
“The festival started yesterday, but you would not see any customers in the market because they are scared. They have this fear in their minds about whether they will get a way through; the protesters might turn violent,” he said.
Stating that traders were not opposed to the protest itself, Mehra said, “We have no problem with people protesting, but we have the right to do our business and earn our livelihood, just like they have the right to protest.”
Questioning the opposition’s approach, he said, “When you went to the President, why didn’t you take any evidence with you? It is because you want to prolong this protest and plant a narrative in people’s minds. They don’t have any evidence to say there’s a massive scam in the SIR.”
“I am a citizen too, and there are citizens living around our homes who are not on the voter list and the government keeps giving them chances to come in and submit a new form if there’s any mismatch or something left unresolved,” he added.
Calling the opposition’s claims false, Mehra said, “The political parties are claiming around 13 crore votes are deleted; it is a lie, which is hurting our business.”
He appealed to the apex court to intervene. “I request the Supreme Court to step in and move the protest site from here and take it to Delhi border. It should be ensured that there are no protests at Jantar Mantar or in New Delhi area from now on,” he said.
Khan Market Traders Association Senior Vice President Brijgopal Khosla also said repeated demonstrations were hurting trade.
“Due to repeated protests every day, the market routes get blocked and no customers are willing to come. There is no business. The whole reason for these protests is to cause disturbance. We all see videos of these protests–police are being beaten, there is hooliganism,” Khosla said.
“We request the Supreme Court to move the protest sites to Delhi border. Our movement should not be curtailed and business should not suffer. If someone wants to protest, please follow a proper approach; do it peacefully,” he added.
On Monday, political tensions in the national capital reached a boiling point as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and its allies on Monday launched a blistering attack on the Opposition as INDIA bloc leaders filed a petition before the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India (ECI). The petition was successfully filed following a high-octane protest, ‘March for Democracy’, to the apex court from central Delhi today.
The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, seeks suspension of the ongoing SIR exercise across the country pending adjudication of the issues raised. It also seeks the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to examine the implementation of the revision exercise and review the technical systems governing electoral rolls and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
INDIA alliance’s rigorous protest march to the Supreme Court triggered widespread reactions from the ruling party, with party leaders sharply criticising the Opposition for allegedly creating disorder and ruckus in the national capital. ANI)
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