Delhi police allows INDIA Bloc’s Ramlila Maidan rally, says no permission for march from Connaught Place

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Saturday clarified that it had granted permission for the INDIA bloc’s proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, but had not approved the march from the Connaught Place-Minto Road junction to the venue.

The clarification came a day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi announced that the march would begin at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place area and conclude at Ramlila Maidan. During an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Instagram, Gandhi had urged people to join the programme.

According to CNN-News18, police sources said neither the New Delhi district police nor the Central district police had received any formal request or information about the proposed march.

“No permission has been sought and neither the New Delhi district police nor the Central district police have been informed about the march,” the sources said.

The police, however, did not clarify whether opposition leaders and participants would be stopped from marching towards Ramlila Maidan.

INDIA bloc’s rally against SIR on November 1

The INDIA bloc is organising a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan to demand the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Rahul Gandhi had said the rally would bring together opposition parties, civil society members, journalists and people from different sections of society. He accused the BJP-led government of weakening Indian democracy and alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi for the programme.

Gandhi also claimed that people travelling from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana and Punjab were facing attempts to stop them from entering the national capital.

Delhi traders urge INDIA bloc to postpone rally

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has written to several INDIA bloc leaders, requesting them to postpone the November 1 rally until after Diwali.

In the letter, the traders’ body warned that the gathering could affect business during the festive season, particularly around Diwali and Dhanteras, when markets usually see heavy customer footfall.

The CTI approached leaders including Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav and Uddhav Thackeray. It suggested holding the rally after November 10-11, arguing that large gatherings and traffic restrictions could cause significant losses to traders and entrepreneurs in Delhi.

Despite the request, Rahul Gandhi had maintained that the rally would take place as planned on November 1.