Rahul Gandhi Visits Delhi Grocery Store, Interacts with Owners and Sells Goods

On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stunned locals by visiting a grocery shop in Delhi's Bhogal area. The shop, named 'Standard the Quality Shop,' is one of the oldest in the area and is run by Ashok Kumar Goel and his family. During his visit, Gandhi interacted with the family and staff, even helping to sell goods to customers.

In a video shared by Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Kumar Goel explained that their joint family of 25 people has been in this business for generations. However, they face significant challenges due to the rise of online platforms, which are monopolizing the market and eating into their profit margins. Despite the setbacks, the family delivers products across Delhi and maintains a customer base of over 2,000 regulars.

During the conversation, Gandhi questioned the systemic issues in retail, such as the GST impact. Goel said that GST is a heavy burden as it has complicated compliance processes that consume much of their time and further criticized it because it is being applied on basic necessities such as water, electricity, and phone services.

Rahul Gandhi expressed how multinational companies break down the usual supply chain which is catastrophic for small businesses and livelihood. The shopkeepers further added by saying that such interruption would mean mass unemployment. Gandhi wrapped up his visit by selling items to customers and giving chocolates to a kid, leaving the shop with a memorable mark.