"Why push a project people oppose?": Siddaramaiah backs Rahul Gandhi over Great Nicobar project concerns

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 29 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday raised concerns over the development project in Great Nicobar Island, alleging large-scale clearing of rainforests and lack of consultation with local communities.

He said the project ignores ecological impact and questioned the Centre's approach.

He backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's stand, saying he has highlighted issues related to the project and continues to speak for people and the environment.

In a post on X, Karnataka CM wrote, "What is happening in Great Nicobar Island raises serious questions. Thousands of acres of pristine rainforest are being cleared, without consulting local communities and with complete disregard for ecological impact. This cannot be called development."

https://x.com/siddaramaiah/status/2049380285499027891?s=20

"The @narendramodi Government must answer: Why push a project that people on the island themselves oppose, and why hide it from public scrutiny? I commend Shri @RahulGandhi for bringing this to the nation's attention. At a time when many stay silent, he continues to stand with people, protect our environment, and raise the issues that truly matter," the post read.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Centre's development push in Great Nicobar, alleging large-scale environmental destruction and displacement of local communities, and termed the project one of the "biggest scams" against the country's natural and tribal heritage.

In a post on X, Raebareli MP said he recently travelled through Great Nicobar and expressed concern over the impact of the ongoing project on forests and indigenous communities.

"I travelled through Great Nicobar today. These are the most extraordinary forests I have ever seen in my life. Trees older than memory. Forests that took generations to grow. The people on this island are equally beautiful - both the adivasi communities and the settlers - but they are being robbed of what is rightfully theirs," he wrote.

He further alleged that the project would result in large-scale deforestation and ecological damage.

"The government calls what it is doing here a 'Project.' What I have seen is not a project. It is millions of trees marked for the axe. It is 160 square kilometres of rainforest condemned to die. It is communities that have been ignored while their homes have been snatched away," he said.

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