Mere eyewash: Yadav questions BJP’s Traders’ Welfare Board

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav on Friday raised doubts over the BJP-led Delhi Government’s announcement to form a Traders’ Welfare Board, calling it a mere eyewash unless it actively revives struggling small and medium businesses in the Capital. Accusing the BJP of neglecting traders for years, Yadav said such boards often remain “toothless” and must be empowered to take decisions that genuinely benefit the city’s business community.

Yadav pointed to the thousands of shops sealed under BJP’s tenure in the erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), stating that no real welfare could begin unless these shops were de-sealed. “When the BJP ruled MCD for 15 years, nearly 2,000 shops in prominent markets were shut on petty grounds. That caused immense hardship to lakhs of families. Traders are unlikely to trust the BJP now,” he said.

He also proposed that the board include representatives from all political parties’ trade wings to ensure it remains consultative and inclusive. Criticising the BJP’s economic policies at the Centre, Yadav said that demonetisation and flawed GST implementation had dealt severe blows to small traders — the same group the BJP is now trying to appease ahead of the proposed Investors' Summit in 2026.

The Congress leader warned that BJP governments had a history of big promises and little delivery, citing expensive summits in other BJP-ruled states that attracted “rhetoric, not real investment.” He also criticized the former AAP-led Delhi government for neglecting traders despite promises of support, saying both state and central governments had failed to fill job vacancies, leaving small businesses as one of the few remaining sources of employment.

Responding to the Congress leader’s remarks, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor accused Yadav of being a “statement warrior,” saying his only contribution was to issue press releases attacking every government move. Kapoor asserted that traders are finally feeling reassured under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and that the BJP has been more proactive than any previous government.

“In just the past three months, CM Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, and MP Praveen Khandelwal have met with traders more times than Arvind Kejriwal did in five years,” said Kapoor. He added that the trio had attended dozens of trader events, including the CAIT conference at Bharat Mandapam, where they promised simplification of GST norms.

Kapoor said the CM recently held an extended meeting with Old Delhi’s wholesale traders at the Secretariat, leading to the announcement of the Trade Welfare Board. He claimed there was “strong enthusiasm” among traders for the initiative and expressed confidence that the board would not only support trader welfare but also work towards beautifying markets and promoting Delhi as a trade distribution hub.