Great Nicobar project is purely commercial with no military infrastructure element: Congress

The Congress connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026) said the Great Nicobar Island Project is simply a commercialized task with nary subject component, accusing the Narendra Modi authorities of trying to statement those opposed to the projected transshipment hub connected the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago arsenic being “soft connected China”.

Congress wide caput in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the authorities had launched a “propaganda campaign” done its “ecosystem” to represent critics of the Great Nicobar Island Project arsenic sympathetic to China. He besides accused the Centre of pursuing what helium termed a argumentation of “Continuing, Calibrated Capitulation to China”.

In a station connected X, Mr. Ramesh described the complaint against opponents of the task arsenic “the tallness of hypocrisy” and sought to crook the disapproval backmost connected the government.

He referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 19, 2020 remarks pursuing the clashes successful Ladakh, alleging that the Prime Minister had fixed China an “inexplicable cleanable chit” successful what helium called an insult to the 20 Indian soldiers killed successful the Galwan Valley clash.

The Congress person besides claimed that the government, successful its negotiations with China, had surrendered “traditional patrolling and herding rights” successful respective areas of Ladakh.

Satire | The Great Nicobar nuisance

Mr. Ramesh further pointed to India’s commercialized imbalance with China, asserting that the state recorded a commercialized shortage of astir $115 cardinal with Beijing successful 2025-26, which helium said had adversely affected Indian industry, peculiarly micro, tiny and mean enterprises.

He besides accused the premier curate of remaining soundless connected claims by elder Army officers regarding China’s alleged relation successful readying and monitoring Pakistan’s effect during Operation Sindoor successful May 2025.

Arguing that India indispensable proceed to code the economical and strategical situation posed by China connected aggregate fronts, Mr. Ramesh maintained that the Great Nicobar Island Project was “overwhelmingly a commercialized enterprise” and that the projected trans-shipment larboard “has nary constituent of subject infrastructure”.

“Ways to grow that infrastructure astatine INS Baaz and different determination of the Andaman & Nicobar Command person been suggested but are being ignored for agelong due to the fact that the Great Nicobar Island Project that the PM is bulldozing done is, successful each likelihood, going to beryllium portion of the sprawling Modani concern empire,”the Congress wide caput said. 

Mr. Ramesh warned that the task would person “disastrous ecological and humanitarian impacts”.