Rahul Gandhi claims BJP forced Connaught Place shops to shut before protest

Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha opposition leader, said on Sunday that the BJP forced every shop in Delhi’s Connaught Place to close as the INDIA bloc prepared a march at Ramlila Maidan. Gandhi posted a video on X showing him riding a jeep toward the rally site and repeating a message that supporters had been urged to shop before the mega rally. In the video he said, “We told everyone that when you come here for the march and the mega rally, buy things, do some shopping. But while coming to Connaught Place we found out that the BJP has forcibly shut down every single shop.” He blamed the saffron party for the loss traders are facing and asked voters to note who is causing the closures. Connaught Place lies roughly 2.5 km from the Ramlila Maidan protest ground where the INDIA bloc is gathering. The claim was shared in a tweet dated November 1, 2026. No official response from the BJP was included in the article.

Context

Shop closures during large political rallies can affect local traders’ earnings and may be used by parties to claim administrative bias.