The BJP on Friday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for opposing the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Great Nicobar Project, alleging that his stand aligned with China’s strategic interests and accusing him of acting against national interest.

The BJP stepped up its attack on Rahul after his visit last Wednesday to the Great Nicobar Island, where he termed the central government’s proposed project “one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country’s natural and tribal heritage” and billed it “destruction dressed in development’s language”.

He had alleged that trees were being felled in the tropical rainforest to “fulfil Adani’s interests”.

“Great Nicobar Project... will directly challenge China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean. Rahul Gandhi is now opposing this project by using the tribals as his shield. But the truth is that this entire development work is happening in only a limited area, while the remaining land is completely protected for the tribals. Even the local tribal community has given an official NOC,” the BJP said in an X post from the party’s official handle @BJP4India.

“So then, who is this opposition for?” the post questioned and went on to answer: “Neither for the tribals, nor for the environment. This opposition is only because this project directly threatens China’s strategic interests.”

The Centre proposes to develop an international container transhipment port at Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar Island, for which nearly a dozen private companies, including Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, Essar Ports Ltd, and Container Corporation of India Ltd, are reported to have filed an expression of interest.

The government too came out to reject Rahul’s charge, stressing that the project was of “strategic national importance” aimed at strengthening the country’s maritime, economic and security footprint in the Indo-Pacific region. The official statement, unlike the BJP’s, however, refrained from accusing Rahul of trying to safeguard China’s strategic interests.

“The Great Nicobar Project is a strategic project which aims to strengthen India’s presence in the Andaman Sea and Southeast Asia. The project seeks to balance port-led growth with calibrated environmental safeguards and protection of indigenous communities,” the statement from the government’s publicity wing, the Press Information Bureau, said.

Countering Rahul’s claim that the project would lead to the displacement of indigenous communities, the statement said: “Tribal welfare remains central, with no displacement proposed for Shompen and Nicobarese communities and a net increase
in notified tribal reserve area through re-notification measures.”

The BJP’s X handle targeted Rahul, seeking to portray the Congress leader as a friend of China. One of the many X posts said that the Great Nicobar Project, worth ₹92,000 crore, was more than a mere port. “This isn’t just a port; it’s the security of India’s maritime borders. It’s a declaration of India’s power in the Indian Ocean, a direct response to China,” the post said.

It added: “But China doesn’t want this project to happen, and surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi doesn’t want it either! When the country talks about moving forward, Congress throws obstacles in the way....”