VARANASI, Nov. 11 -- Worried over the likely removal of their shops hindering a road widening project, traders of crowded Dalmandi market in Varanasi met Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai at his residence in Lahurabir area here on Tuesday.

Confirming it, Rai said: "Distressed traders expressed their pain and fear. This is not just an issue of shops; it concerns people's livelihoods, children's education and the lives of families....The Congress supports the business community. Dalmandi is not just a market, it is the identity and economic heartbeat of Kashi." He alleged that the government was insensitive towards the traders.

Many Congress leaders and workers, including party's city unit chief Raghavendra Choubey, besides hundreds o...