Desk Correspondent , Lucknow - Jewellery traders in Lucknow staged a protest on Monday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to avoid buying gold and postpone foreign travel for a year to help save foreign exchange amid the ongoing West Asia crisis. Members of the Lucknow Sarafa Association gathered at Ashiana’s Powerhouse crossing, warning that the remarks could badly impact the city’s traditional jewellery trade and threaten the livelihoods of thousands dependent on the sector.

Traders said the appeal has created panic in the market at a time when soaring gold prices, weak consumer demand and economic uncertainty have already slowed business. Protesters raised slogans and questioned how jewellers, artisans and workers would survive if customers stopped purchasing gold. According to association members, nearly 6,000 jewellery establishments operate in Lucknow, directly supporting around 30,000 families and indirectly sustaining over one lakh others linked to craftsmanship, polishing, transport and designing work.

Association president Manish Kumar Varma said discouraging gold purchases could crush small and medium traders who are already under pressure. Chowk Sarafa Association general secretary Vinod Maheshwari warned that weakening market sentiment would gradually wipe out smaller businesses while larger organised players survive.

The protesters also argued that gold in India is not just a luxury item but a trusted financial safeguard and cultural investment for households. Traders submitted a memorandum urging policymakers to distinguish between reducing non-essential imports and discouraging an entire domestic industry that supports lakhs of workers across the country.