"Will you solve problems or change subject?": Congress' Manickam Tagore hits out at Kiren Rijiju over Andaman visit

In a post on X, the Congress MP questioned the timing and intent of the Union Minister's visit, suggesting it served as a smokescreen for environmental and land-related controversies.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Union Minister Kiren Rijiju over his visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, questioning whether the visit was a move to "divert global attention" from the Greater Nicobar project. In a post on X, the Congress MP questioned the timing and intent of the Union Minister's visit, suggesting it served as a smokescreen for environmental and land-related controversies.

Invoking the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to the islands, Tagore stated that it "exposed the contradiction between claims of consultation and the concerns expressed by local communities and experts." The Congress leader highlighted that the people of the archipelago have been raising basic demands for the last 12 years, which remain unresolved under the current dispensation.

"For the last 12 years, the people of Andaman & Nicobar have been raising basic demands: Affordable airfares and regular ship services, filling vacancies in government departments, more higher educational institutions, better healthcare infrastructure, resolution of land ownership and encroachment issues, and greater local participation in decisions on major development projects," Tagore stated. Demanding transparency and justice for the residents of the Union Territory, the Congress leader further added, "Instead of diversions, the people of Andaman & Nicobar deserve answers, transparency and justice. Will you solve their problems, or simply change the subject?"

His remarks come after Rijiju visited Flag Point in Sri Vijaya Puram earlier today, as part of the Pragati Padh Yatra to review developmental works undertaken over the past 12 years. His visit followed that of Gandhi, who visited the islands recently.

Expressing his concerns regarding the Nicobar project, Gandhi voiced alarm over the "irreversible" ecological loss the project would cause, noting it covers an area four times the size of New Delhi and involves felling 1.5 crore trees. Gandhi likened the destruction of coral reefs to "killing hundreds and hundreds of tigers" and alleged that the Forest Rights Act is being bypassed to displace indigenous tribes and former soldiers without fair compensation or local consultation.

Gandhi also challenged the government's strategic narrative, arguing that the project serves commercial interests over genuine defence needs, especially since a transhipment port is already under construction in Keralam. While the government maintains the mega-project is a strategic necessity to leverage global shipping routes and bolster national security, Gandhi has called for "ecologically balanced development" to preserve the islands' unique biological resources. (ANI)