The Impressive TimesNEW DELHI,May 06 : In a stunning revelation that has sent shockwaves through the Capital’s business community, senior AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj has charged Delhi’s BJP government with orchestrating a calculated conspiracy to dismantle the city’s historic commercial hubs and shift them out of the state.
Following CM Rekha Gupta’s public statement announcing the relocation of iconic markets, Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted that the BJP, in coordination with the Haryana government, has been planning since 2022 to replicate key trade centres like Chandni Chowk and Bhagirath Palace in Sonipat—jeopardizing not only livelihoods but Delhi’s cultural heritage. “This is an assault on generations of businesses and emotional legacies. Delhi’s businesspersons will not be driven out,” the AAP Delhi State President declared, demanding an immediate retraction of the CM’s statement.
During a press conference, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj highlighted a meeting from 2022 between Delhi businesspersons and the Haryana government. He stated, “In 2022—some businesspersons from Delhi’s old markets such as Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, and Khari Baoli held a meeting at Haryana Bhawan with then Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.”
“This meeting was reported in some newspapers, and the plan being discussed was to shift Delhi’s old markets from Delhi to Haryana. Manohar Lal Khattar himself was present in that meeting and assured all the businesspersons that they would be provided with much better facilities in Haryana, urging them to relocate,” he added.
Pointing to a broader political conspiracy, Saurabh Bharadwaj continued, “There was a conspiracy to shift them. The entire group of businesspersons involved in this move was led by none other than a leader of the BJP, Kuldeep Chahal. So the BJP leaders were running this scheme since 2022 to move Delhi’s business and businesspersons out to Haryana. But because Arvind Kejriwal was in power in Delhi, this could not happen.”
Pointing to developments in Haryana replicating Delhi’s markets, the senior AAP leader revealed a news item from this year. “In Sonipat, Haryana, a market is being developed that exactly replicates Delhi’s old markets. A Bhagirath Palace is being constructed there. A Chandni Chowk is being recreated. This is being done by the Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), which is actively rebuilding Delhi’s iconic markets there. Haryana’s government is carrying this project forward with full enthusiasm.”
Citing a recent BJP-affiliated businesspersons’ event in Delhi, he said, “On 2nd May 2025, a market association in Delhi, which is essentially backed and operated by the BJP, organized an event at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan. The organization is CAIT, which was earlier headed by the current MP from Chandni Chowk, Praveen Khandelwal—perhaps he still heads it. They gathered many of Delhi’s businesspersons at this event. Delhi MPs were present, including Praveen Khandelwal, Ramvir Bidhuri, and MP Harsh Malhotra. Several ministers from Delhi’s cabinet were there too.”
“There, the CM of Delhi announced that Delhi’s old markets like Sadar Bazar and Chandni Chowk have become too congested. She said that it’s so crowded that to even breathe, one has to wait until evening. Therefore, these markets will be shifted. They didn’t say where they’ll be shifted, but said clearly that they will be shifted,” he added.
He emphasized, “Since that announcement, panic has spread among Delhi’s businesspersons. Everyone is asking—what is this conspiracy the BJP is running against the businesspersons of Delhi?”
Describing it as a coordinated plot, the AAP Delhi State President further emphasized, “If you connect the dots, you’ll understand—this conspiracy began in 2022. Who is Kuldeep Chahal? A leader of the BJP. Who did he take the businesspersons to meet? The then Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar. Where? Haryana Bhawan. And what was discussed? That your markets will be shifted from Delhi to Haryana.”
Recalling how businesspersons responded to relocation attempts, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “They were lured with promises, but as the businesspersons told us, they were not at all interested in going to Haryana. And because Arvind Kejriwal’s government was in power in Delhi, when we found out about this, we said—why should we send our businesspersons to Haryana? We’ll redevelop our own markets.”
Emphasizing AAP’s redevelopment efforts, he highlighted, “We demonstrated this by redeveloping Chandni Chowk—proving that even markets like Chandni Chowk can be modernized. There were more redevelopment plans, and the Delhi government even allocated ₹100 crore for this in the budget. But due to deliberate obstruction by officials, the work couldn’t proceed.”
Speaking about the cultural and historical significance of old Delhi markets, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “Today, Delhi needs to preserve its old markets—they are part of our heritage and culture. These are places where generations of businesspersons have worked, where their forefathers once sat. They are emotionally attached to these places. Redevelop them.”
“You don’t want to redevelop; instead, you want to shift them elsewhere. Why? Because your old conspiracy is still alive—to remove them from here. We completely oppose this. And we want to tell Rekha Gupta: you know nothing about Delhi’s businesspersons. You have no understanding. Your statements are full of nonsense,” he asserted.
Calling for the BJP to retract its plans, Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded, “We urge you to withdraw your statement and withdraw your scheme. The Aam Aadmi Party stands with Delhi’s businesspersons. And we will not allow anyone to be forcibly displaced. You think you can do as you please—that’s not how things work. In Delhi, the AAP got 43% of the vote—just 2% behind the BJP. And we are here to stand up for those 43% and even for those who mistakenly voted for you. We won’t let you resort to bullying.”
No Comments: