Great Nicobar project not about defence, claims Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Great Nicobar Island Project is not linked to defence or a transshipment port but is aimed at benefiting a businessman. He claimed the project threatens rainforests, coral reefs and tribal communities, and urged public opposition
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the Modi government’s argument that the Great Nicobar Island Project is about defence and a transshipment port is a “lie”, and alleged that it is actually aimed at benefitting one businessman so that he can build hotels and casinos on India’s most irreplaceable ecological land.
Gandhi released an over 16-minute video based on his visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in late April and urged people to sign a petition to tell the Modi government: “We choose green over greed.”
“This World Environment Day, I want to ask every young Indian one question: What kind of India do you want to inherit? One where rainforests have been bulldozed for casinos, coral reefs erased from maps, tribal communities pushed off their land, and the air we breathe turned into poison? Or one where India’s natural heritage is protected, our tribal communities are safe, and progress works with nature, not against it?” Gandhi said on X.
He alleged that the Modi government is currently destroying Great Nicobar Island.
“More than 1.5 crore trees, ancient coral reefs and irreplaceable rainforests are being destroyed to profit one businessman,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed.
“This is your inheritance they are bulldozing. And only you can stop them. Sign the petition. Tell the Modi government, ‘We choose Green Over Greed’,” Gandhi said while sharing the link to the petition.
In his post on X along with the video, Gandhi said, “I visited the southernmost tip of India. I stood at Indira Point. I walked under trees that have stood for centuries. I dived into coral reefs among the most vibrant on earth. And I sat with the people who live there. Tribal communities, whose land is being taken away by violating the Forest Rights Act. Settlers, many of them former soldiers, placed on these islands by the Indian government, who aren’t getting fair compensation.”
“The Modi government and BJP tell you the Great Nicobar Project is about defence. It is not,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
“Expand INS Baaz – we will back the government fully. The Navy has been asking for expansion for five years. It has been ignored,” Gandhi said.
He said the government is telling people that the project is about a transshipment port when it is not.
India is already building one in Kerala, which is on the mainland, Gandhi pointed out.
“What it actually is: 1.5 crore trees felled. Coral reefs erased from official maps. Soldiers and tribals displaced so one businessman can build hotels and casinos on India’s most irreplaceable ecological land,” Gandhi alleged.
“Every young Indian I have spoken to understands this. You know that no amount of profit is worth destroying what can never be recovered,” he said.
Gandhi said he stands for ecologically balanced development, asserting that these islands can become the most extraordinary sustainable destination the world has ever seen.
That is the India worth fighting for, he added.
In the video titled “This is what Modi doesn’t want you to see”, Gandhi is seen diving into the waters, speaking with settlers and tribal representatives, and talking about his experiences during the visit.
“What is the plan? The plan is that you cut these thousands and thousands of trees and illegally ship them out, and you make billions and billions of dollars. And you use that money to build your hotels, your casinos and your real estate. That is what is going on,” Gandhi says in the video.
He pointed out that the area being discussed is about four times the size of New Delhi.
The government is building this project in the most pristine ecological environment the country has, he said.
“They are snatching away the land from people who were made to settle there, and they are snatching away the land from tribals,” Gandhi alleged.
He said that INS Baaz, the naval base built during the Congress-led government, has been seeking expansion for the past five years.
“If you want to make a military argument, then absolutely expand INS Baaz. Make it as big as you want. By the way, you don’t need to cut rainforest because around INS Baaz, you have plenty of land available for expansion,” Gandhi said.
“INS Baaz is also on the coast. The point is that they want to help Mr Gautam Adani, and these criminals are hiding behind the Navy and the armed forces to steal Indian land. They are saying they want to build a transshipment port, but it is a non-starter because they are already building a port in Kerala, which is on the mainland. So that is the first lie,” Gandhi said.
“The second point – please explain to me where hotels and rest houses fit into the defence of our country. How are they related? The other lie they are telling is that this forest has 145 trees per hectare. This forest has 145 trees in just a few metres,” he said in the video.
“The problem is that you want to steal 1.5 crore trees, each of which costs Rs 3 lakh, and fund your little real estate project,” Gandhi alleged.
“So don’t give me this nonsense about the defence of India. Every BJP leader who is spreading this is trying to protect Mr Adani, his interests and his link with the PM (Narendra Modi),” Gandhi said.
He said INS Baaz should be given full rights for expansion.
“Allow them to expand as much as they want. There is no need to destroy any rainforest. You can give them the best equipment. They can scale up their base as much as they want, and we will support it 100 per cent. We don’t want Mr Adani sitting in the Nicobar Islands,” Gandhi said.
Tagging Gandhi’s video, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Great Nicobar Island Project is an “ecological disaster”.
“Fanciful strategic reasons are now being invented for it, whereas other alternatives exist. The environment and forest approvals for the project have been given on bogus grounds,” Ramesh said on X.
