In a unique and surprising protest, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar took to the streets of Ghaziabad's Loni area, sitting by the roadside and selling vegetables. This act was in response to the Ghaziabad police's controversial decision to shut down weekly markets, which, according to the MLA, adversely impacts the livelihoods of over one lakh people in the region.
The incident, captured on camera, has since gone viral on social media. The video shows MLA Gurjar in an intense conversation with the police, accusing them of targeting the BJP in the aftermath of the recently held Delhi Assembly Elections in 2025.
यूपी : गाजियाबाद में BJP विधायक नंदकिशोर गुर्जर आज सब्जी बेचने बैठ गए। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि पुलिस सब्जी बेचने वालों का उत्पीड़न कर रही है, उनसे पैसा वसूल रही है। pic.twitter.com/E4PbIsyZkz
— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) February 6, 2025
Top Quotes from the Protest:
- "Loni mein ek lakh se zyada logon ki rozi-roti saptahik bazaar se judi hai. Police ka yeh faisla gareebon par sidha prahar hai."
(More than one lakh people in Loni depend on weekly markets for their livelihood. This decision by the police is a direct attack on the poor.) - "Yeh faisla Delhi chunaav ko dekhte hue BJP ko nuksan pahunchane ke liye liya gaya hai."
(This decision has been taken to harm the BJP in view of the Delhi elections.) - "Yeh faisla gareeb logon ki rozi-roti cheenne jaisa hai. Sarkar ko unke guzar-basar ka bhi sochna chahiye."
(This decision is like snatching away the livelihoods of poor people. The government should also think about their survival.)
In his protest, Gurjar sat down like a common vendor, weighing and selling vegetables while announcing prices to passersby. "Agar saptahik bazaar lagana galat hai, to phir aaj se main bhi ek sabzi wala hoon," he quipped. (If setting up a weekly market is wrong, then from today, I am also a vegetable vendor.)
The Ghaziabad police defended their decision, explaining that the weekly markets create traffic congestion and pose difficulties during medical emergencies. "Saptahik bazaaron se sadkon par bheed badh jaati hai, jis wajah se logon ko dikkat hoti hai. Medical emergency mein bhi pareshaani hoti hai," they stated. (The weekly markets increase crowding on roads, causing issues for the public and during medical emergencies.)
In an effort to resolve the issue, the police suggested that vendors consider using vacant spaces rather than blocking roads for markets. "Vyapari khaali jagahon par bazaar laga sakte hain, taki aam janta ko koi dikkat na ho," they added. (Traders can set up markets in vacant spaces to avoid causing inconvenience to the public.)
MLA Gurjar, however, strongly opposed this solution, arguing that the police's decision would severely hurt the livelihoods of the working-class people who rely on the markets. His protest has ignited a wider conversation about the role and impact of such weekly markets on local economies, especially for marginalized communities.
