Published Jun 05, 2026 | 6:42 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 05, 2026 | 6:42 PM
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that tribal communities were losing land through violations of the Forest Rights Act.
Synopsis: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has opposed the Centre’s proposed Great Nicobar Project, alleging it would cause large-scale ecological damage, displace tribal communities and settlers, and primarily benefit the business interests of billionaire Gautam Adani. Following a visit to the islands, Gandhi also alleged that tribal communities had been misled into signing away land and that settlers were facing inadequate compensation.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has said the Centre’s proposed Great Nicobar Project would lead to large-scale ecological destruction, the displacement of tribal communities and settlers, and primarily benefit private business interests.
In a post on X on Friday, 6 June, Gandhi said he had recently visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and spent a few days travelling around the project site, which he said covered 161 square kilometres of “pristine forest”. He also spent a day speaking with indigenous communities and other residents of the islands.
He said he stood “with full strength against the destruction of Andaman and Nicobar” and described the islands as “India’s most precious natural heritage”.
“I visited the southernmost tip of India. I stood at Indira Point. I walked under trees that have stood for centuries. I dove into coral reefs among the most vibrant on earth. And I sat with the people who live there,” he said.
“Protecting them for present and future generations is my duty. Join me – sign the petition and become part of the fight to save this invaluable asset.”
Gandhi alleged that the project’s stated aim of defence was a lie and said it was intended to facilitate a tourism venture by Gautam Adani.
“The Modi government and BJP tell you the Great Nicobar Project is about defence. It is not. 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 said.
“They’re saying they want to build a port, a trans-shipment port. It’s a non-starter because they are already building a port in Kerala, which is on the mainland. So that’s the first lie. Please explain to me where hotels and rest houses fit into the defence of our country. How are they correlated? The point is that they want to help Mr Adani, and these criminals are hiding behind the Navy, behind the armed forces, to steal Indian land. So don’t give me this nonsense about the defence of India,” he said.
The Congress leader accused BJP leaders promoting the project of “trying to protect Mr Adani, his interests, and his link with the Prime Minister of India.”
I visited the southernmost tip of India.
I stood at Indira Point. I walked under trees that have stood for centuries. I dove 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… pic.twitter.com/RLNtT6L0U4
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 5, 2026
The Union government has maintained that the Great Nicobar Project is intended to strengthen India’s strategic and economic position by transforming Great Nicobar into a strategic maritime and economic hub, leveraging its proximity to the East-West shipping route, located about 40 nautical miles away, and reducing India’s dependence on foreign trans-shipment ports, while adhering to environmental and tribal welfare safeguards.
The project includes a 14.2 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (MTEU) International Container Trans-shipment Terminal, a greenfield international airport with a capacity of 4,000 peak-hour passengers, a 450 MVA gas-solar power plant, and a planned township.
In a statement, the Centre said the development would be carried out within a regulated environmental framework. It noted that the project has received clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, and the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) Notification, 2019, subject to 42 compliance conditions.
The Centre said the project would involve the diversion of 1.82 percent of the island’s forest cover and that compensatory afforestation is planned over 97.30 square kilometres.
It also said tribal welfare remained a central consideration and asserted that no displacement of the Shompen and Nicobarese communities has been proposed. According to the government, the project would result in a net increase in notified tribal reserve area through re-notification measures.
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Gandhi said the Congress would fully support the expansion of INS Baaz, the naval air station in Great Nicobar, if the government sought to strengthen defence infrastructure. He added that the party would also back development and tourism in the islands, provided it was environmentally sustainable.
“Expand INS Baaz—we will back the government fully. The Navy has been asking for expansion for five years—it has been ignored. We are 100 percent on board with promoting and developing facilities for ecologically balanced tourism in the Andaman Islands,” he said.
“I stand for ecologically balanced development. These islands can be the most extraordinary sustainable destination the world has ever seen. That is the India worth fighting for.”
Gandhi said concerns about the ecological consequences of the project had prompted his visit to the islands after members of tribal communities asked him to see the situation first-hand.
“Some tribal people came to see me and they said, ‘Listen, we want you to go to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and we want you to see what is going on, the ecological damage that is taking place in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,'” he said.
“I’ve always had a sense that when someone is telling me, ‘Come and see what’s going on,’ I like to go and see it with my own eyes,” he added.
Gandhi also alleged that tribal communities were losing land through violations of the Forest Rights Act and that settlers, including former soldiers settled on the islands by the government, were not receiving fair compensation.
He alleged that tribal communities were made to sign no-objection certificates without being properly informed and without procedures under the Forest Rights Act being followed.
“A trick was played on the tribal communities. They were made to sign NOCs. These people didn’t know what they were signing, and they were forced to give away their own land without being consulted and without following the procedures laid down in the Forest Rights Act,” he said.
He said settlers, including former armed forces personnel who had been encouraged by the government to establish a permanent presence on the islands, were also facing the loss of land without adequate compensation.
“Now, their land is simply being taken away without any fair compensation,” he said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
