The Delhi Congress, along with the members of street vendors’ unions, on Thursday protested outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, demanding all weekly bazaars be permitted to function across the Capital.
The party said that street vendors have been out of jobs ever since a nationwide lockdown was enforced in the Capital following the outbreak of COVID-19 and are now in a terrible plight as all avenues for them to earn a livelihood are shut.
After being detained by the Delhi police for holding the demonstration, the party said that weekly bazaars not only help street vendors earn a livelihood, but such bazaars also provide all sorts of essential goods at affordable prices to the common people. Delhi Congress chief Ch. Anil Kumar said that the Narendra Modi-led government has been busy passing anti-farmer Bills to help the corporates and the Arvind Kejriwal government, instead of addressing urgent issues like that of the street vendors, was busy playing politics by meddling in the affairs of another State where it has no presence.
“If the Central and the State governments could relax lockdown norms to allow liquor shops, bars, malls, shopping complexes, hotels and other such establishments to operate, then there was no reason to deny the street vendors their right to run the weekly bazaars,” Mr. Kumar said.