A day after Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi reiterated call for ‘Chalo Delhi’ march slated for November 1, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) wrote to him again on Tuesday, pleading that the mega-rally be rescheduled after Diwali festivities.

A copy of the letter has also been sent to Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, urging him to discuss the matter with allies in the INDIA bloc.

Earlier on Monday, Rahul Gandhi took to X and made it clear that he intends to proceed with the rally, which is scheduled to be held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.

“To every trader in Delhi: We love you and hear you. The Govt shut the metro, sealed our roads and locked down our capital. With a stolen vote, nothing is safe – your shop, your savings, your children’s future. Tell Modi to sack accused no. 4, Gyanesh Kumar, and the protests will stop in 30 seconds,” Gandhi said.

According to the CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal, the November 1 rally is right in the middle of the peak Diwali shopping season.

“Following this announcement, traders in the 20 major markets surrounding Ramlila Maidan have expressed deep concern and disappointment, leading to an atmosphere of panic,” the CTI said.

The traders’ body questioned whether the barricades will be set up as early as October 31, whether several routes across the National Capital will be blocked, and whether the shops will be allowed to operate or customers will be able to reach them given the restrictions.

The CTI further stated that if the Congress leaders’ estimate of 10 lakh people, along with 15,000-20,000 vehicles, attending the rally is correct, then where will they be parked?

“There is no authorised parking for even 200 vehicles in the vicinity of Ramlila Maidan. Twenty major wholesale and retail markets surrounding Ramlila Maidan will be directly affected,” it said.

The traders’ body mentioned that Ramlila Maidan is surrounded by some of Delhi’s largest wholesale and retail markets, while listing 21 major markets that would be affected by the mega rally.

The CTI stated that the October 10 Jantar Mantar protest involving only 3,000–4,000 people led to the “sealing off of all of Central Delhi”, resulting in a loss of Rs 3,000 crore for traders.

“A rally of 10 lakh people on November 1 would bring all business activity in Old Delhi to a complete standstill, resulting in a loss of Rs 10,000 crore,” it added.

“In the public and business interest, the rally be rescheduled to after November 10, following the festival of Bhaiya Dooj. If holding the rally on November 1 is unavoidable, it should be moved from Ramlila Maidan to an open space, such as the Burari Grounds or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium—where it would not impact the markets,” the CTI stated.

Meanwhile, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said that Gandhi’s X post would not satisfy the traders.

Speaking to media, Khandelwal said, “Rahul Gandhi tweeted yesterday about Delhi’s traders, apparently believing that his tweet-based politics would satisfy them. The question is, when he said in his tweet that the metro was shut down and roads were blocked, why was the administration compelled to take these steps in the first place?”

Telangana BJP President, Ramchander Rao, on Tuesday criticised Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for demanding a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls over allegations of alleged irregularities, calling the demand baseless and accusing the Opposition of misleading people with allegations of vote theft.

Speaking to media, Rao said the SIR process had progressed significantly and questioned the Congress’ demand to stop it without presenting evidence of alleged voter deletions.

“Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, have time and again been asking for the SIR process to be stalled. In fact, the first phase of the SIR is over now. The second phase of the SIR for the remaining voters has been completed,” he said.

He added that Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were among the states where the second phase of the exercise had been completed, claiming that the overall process was now almost complete.

“How can it be stopped without any proof? Kharge or Rahul Gandhi, it is their demand to stop the SIR without any basis,” Rao claimed.

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress had failed to substantiate its claims that legitimate voters had been removed from electoral rolls. He claimed that neither the party’s leaders nor the individuals allegedly affected had provided evidence to establish where or how valid votes were deleted.

“They don’t have any basis for voter deletion. They make such demands to confuse the people of the country. Their claims of vote theft are an insult to the people’s mandate,” he said.

Rao also questioned the grounds on which the Congress was protesting, asking why the party had not presented specific evidence to support its allegations.

The BJP leader further defended Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), claiming that Opposition parties had accepted electoral outcomes in states where they had won using the same voting system.

“The EVMs they are raising questions about are the same ones through which they won in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala,” he said.

Reiterating the BJP’s stance on the matter, Rao alleged that the Opposition questioned the credibility of EVMs and the Election Commission of India (ECI) primarily when the BJP emerged victorious in elections.

He maintained that the allegations against the electoral process were false and reiterated that the Congress should provide evidence to support its claims rather than demand that the SIR exercise be stopped.

The Income Tax Department has recently nudged select taxpayers who have invested in residential and commercial properties in the UAE to avail of the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers – Disclosure Scheme, 2026 (FAST-DS), offering a one-time opportunity to declare these overseas assets which have been undisclosed so far, according to Finance Ministry sources.

The scheme provides a time-bound window to regularise eligible disclosures by paying 30 per cent tax on the fair market value and an equal amount of penalty in addition to tax. A crucial feature of the scheme is that it is fully online, trust-based, and self-declaratory.

A valid declaration brings immunity from further assessment, penalty and prosecution under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 (Black Money Act). The scheme further provides an opportunity to taxpayers to report unaccounted assets and income on payment of a Rs 1 lakh fee to avoid a penalty of Rs 10 lakh each year prescribed in the Black Money Act.

Till now, approximately 1,100 taxpayers have filed applications under the scheme, which is open till December 31, 2026, sources said.

The Central government has launched the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers – Disclosure Scheme, 2026 (FAST-DS), offering a one-time opportunity to disclose foreign assets and income that have been undisclosed so far.

To facilitate taxpayers, the Department has created a facility in the e-filing portal where a taxpayer can see information with respect to assets reported on their PANs by the foreign jurisdictions under Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI), popularly known as CRS/FATCA. Taxpayers can log in to the e-filing portal and download this information for the three-year period 2022-2024.

Sources informed that the information received under AEOI from the signatories of CRS/FATCA frameworks has only been displayed in the e-filing portal. Department receives information under other multilateral frameworks which has not been displayed in the portal due to various risk factors or non-disclosure commitments. Further, the Income Tax Department collects information from other sources as well. The Department decided, in a high-level meeting on October 23, that such information may also be shared with relevant taxpayers, wherever possible, to enable them to take advantage of the scheme.

The Income Tax Department has also planned outreach programmes to create awareness among taxpayers, corporates as employers, educational institutes, professional bodies and industry associations. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which is the apex body that heads the Income Tax Department, has also made a Committee in each region under the Principal Chief Commissioner to help taxpayers resolve their queries and concerns.