Rahul Says Great Nicobar Plan Puts ‘Greed Over Green’

Marking World Environment Day, Gandhi released a 16-minute video based on his visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in April. He urged citizens, especially young Indians, to oppose the project and support a petition under the slogan “Green Over Greed”.

The Leader of Opposition alleged that more than 1.5 crore trees, ancient coral reefs and irreplaceable rainforests were being sacrificed for commercial interests. He claimed that the government’s argument that the project was essential for national defence and a transshipment port was misleading.

Gandhi said that if defence was the priority, the government should expand INS Baaz, the strategically located naval air station in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He said the Navy had sought expansion of the facility for several years and that the Congress would fully support such a move.

He also questioned the need for another transshipment port when a major facility was already being developed in Kerala. Gandhi alleged that the larger objective was to facilitate hotels, casinos and real estate ventures in an ecologically sensitive region, and accused the government of using strategic concerns as a cover for commercial interests linked to industrialist Gautam Adani.

The Congress leader said the islands should be developed as a global model for sustainable tourism and environmentally balanced growth. He also claimed that settlers and tribal communities were not being treated fairly and that provisions of the Forest Rights Act were being violated.

The BJP rejected Gandhi’s allegations, accusing him of opposing a project of national and strategic importance. BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said the vision for developing Great Nicobar dated back to the 1970s and criticised successive Congress governments for failing to implement it.

Sinha said the project would strengthen India’s strategic presence in the Indian Ocean and place critical infrastructure near the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. He said environmental concerns had been examined and the project had received approval from the National Green Tribunal.