Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s plans to reach out to street vendors in Chandni Chowk on Saturday hit a security roadblock and had to be called off by the organisers.
A meeting between Mr. Gandhi and around 40 street vendors from the area took place later at his official residence in Tughlaq Lane. But some vendors said that an open Chaupal , as initially planned, could have allowed more among them to participate and Mr. Gandhi to have a closer look at their situation.
Facilitated by the National Association of Street Vendors of India, the exercise was seen both as a part of Mr. Gandhi’s continuous efforts to transform the party and a veiled campaigning exercise for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
A vendor said the Congress leader, credited with ensuring the passage of the Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Bill in the recently-concluded Parliament session, was expected to discuss with them their grievances after the Bill became law. He alleged that even now they were being harassed by police as well as other agencies.
So what led to the cancellation of the event? National Association of Street Vendors of India functionaries claimed that they had already been given adequate security passes by the Security Wing of the Delhi Police and it was agreed that they would be assisting the security personnel in identifying the street vendors assembling there. They added that all logistical arrangements were in place.
“The Delhi Police authorities started evicting the street vendors in the name of ‘sanitizing’ the area on Friday night,” alleged a NASVI representative.
The police said during a security assessment of the open area, where the event was scheduled to be held, it was found that there were security concerns. Mr. Gandhi’s personal security staff agreed. The Congress leader has a Special Protection Group (SPG) cover.
“Neher Patri near Jama Masjid Gate Number 3, where the meeting was to be held, is a vast open area. Access control could have been a problem as people could have come from all sides thus creating a chaotic situation. We pre-empted this and conveyed it to the organisers,” said a police officer.
However, Mr. Gandhi did eventually meet a group of street vendors in the evening and reiterated his commitment to their empowerment. On the specific issue of harassment by the police, he assured them that he would speak to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
