Sri Vijaya Puram, April 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has escalated his criticism of ongoing development activities in the Nicobar Islands, alleging large-scale ecological destruction, land concerns, and lack of public consultation, while describing the situation as one of the “largest thefts of ecological property” in India.
Speaking after his recent visit to the region, Gandhi painted a stark picture of the rainforest landscape and the scale of intervention underway. “In the Nicobar Islands, in the middle of what is easily the most beautiful forest that I’ve ever seen in my life, thousands and thousands of acres of rainforest all these trees are going to be cut, with total disregard for the people who live here and the damage this will do to India’s ecology,” he said.
He claimed that nearly 160 square kilometer’s of dense forest are being cleared, raising concerns about both environmental impact and economic value. “It’s amazing that 160 square kilometers of this forest are being chopped up… Just the wood here is worth lakhs of crores,” Gandhi alleged.
In a pointed remark, Gandhi linked the project to industrial interests, stating, “It’s being done so that one businessman, Gautam Adani, can fulfil his fantasies.”
He further alleged that access to certain forest areas was restricted during his visit. “This is just the part of the forest that we were able to enter. I’d like to show you the part we couldn’t enter because it’s so thick and has so many trees,” he said, suggesting that the scale of forest cover is even larger than what was visible.
Raising concerns about local consent, Gandhi said that residents across communities-including tribal groups and settlers-have not been adequately consulted. “Every single person who lives on this island is against this project, has not been asked about it, and does not know what compensation they’re going to get for their land,” he stated.
He also alleged deliberate attempts to restrict his visit. “Now I understand why the government didn’t want me to come here and why there was an exercise to stop me from getting here. It’s wholesale theft,” he said.
Gandhi claimed that multiple communities, including tribal populations and settlers with defence backgrounds, have urged him to raise the issue at the national level. “They have asked me to raise this in Parliament, and I will gladly do that,” he said.
Describing the process as lacking transparency, he alleged that the project is being carried out “in a hidden manner, surreptitiously,” and called for wider public awareness. “This needs to be told to the whole nation, especially young people, because this is your future,” he said.
Calling it potentially one of the largest environmental controversies in the country, Gandhi added, “This is possibly one of the biggest scams and largest thefts of Indian property, of ecological property-that has ever taken place.”
The remarks come amid ongoing debate over development and conservation priorities in the Nicobar region, with environmental concerns, land rights, and strategic interests continuing to shape public discourse around the project.
