I visited the southernmost tip of India.
I stood at Indira Point. I walked under trees that have stood for centuries. I dove into coral reefs among the most vibrant on earth.
And I sat with the people who live there. Tribal communities, whose land is being taken away by violating the Forest Rights Act. Settlers, many of them former soldiers, placed on these islands by the Indian government, who arenтАЩt getting fair compensation.
The Modi government and BJP tells you Great Nicobar Project is about defence. It is not.
Expand INS Baaz - we will back the government fully. The Navy has been asking for expansion for five years - it has been ignored.
They tell you it is about a transhipment port. It is not. India is already building one in Kerala, which is on the mainland.
What it actually is: 1.5 crore trees felled. Coral reefs erased from official maps. Soldiers and tribals displaced - so one businessman can build hotels and casinos on IndiaтАЩs most irreplaceable ecological land.
Every young Indian I have spoken to understands this. You know that no amount of profit is worth destroying what can never be recovered.
I stand for ecologically balanced development. These islands can be the most extraordinary sustainable destination the world has ever seen. That is the India worth fighting for.
#GreenOverGreed
#NicobarMatters
#WorldEnvironmentDay
Staying true to his word, Shri @abhishekaitc REFUSED TO ABANDON the grieving family of Sanju Karmakar.
Even after a vicious attack by @BJP4Bengal-backed miscreants, our National General Secretary chose not to turn back. Instead, he stood beside a family devastated by an unimaginable loss allegedly inflicted by BJP-backed hooligans.
That is the difference between politics driven by compassion and politics driven by hatred.
@SuvenduWB, todayтАЩs events have once again exposed the kind of politics you preside over - one rooted in intimidation, violence and vendetta.