New Delhi [India], April 29 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday 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.

Sharing 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,' Gandhi 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.

Calling the initiative 'destruction dressed in development's language,' Gandhi strongly opposed the project and urged people to take note of the situation.

'This is not development. This is destruction dressed in development's language,' he added.

'So I will say it plainly, and I will keep saying it: what is being done in Great Nicobar is one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country's natural and tribal heritage in our lifetime,' Gandhi said.

'It must be stopped. And it can be stopped - if Indians choose to see what I have seen,' he added.

The government has maintained that the Great Nicobar development project aims to boost infrastructure, connectivity, and economic growth in the strategically important island region.

Earlier in January, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various development projects worth Rs 373 crore of the Andaman and Nicobar UT Government in Sri Vijaya Puram.

Shah said that by upgrading the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in accordance with ISO standards for scuba diving, several steps have been taken to develop the place as a global destination for scuba diving and adventure water sports. He said that under Prime Minister Modi's appeal of 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam', 2.4 million trees have been planted here, showing concern for the environment.

He said that the collection of waste from 98% of the houses by the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council is a historic success of the Swachh Bharat Mission. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India has risen from the world's 11th largest economy to the 4th position, and in just two years, the country will reach the 3rd position.

Shah said that the nation is witnessing economic growth, becoming a global manufacturing hub, becoming more secure, and moving forward by revitalising traditions and drawing strength from its culture and history. He said that under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, the people of India have brought about wide-ranging changes across every sector, ushering in a new chapter of holistic development.

Andaman and Nicobar, where freedom fighters transformed suffering into strength and torture into a resolve for independence, is a pilgrimage site for every Indian. The PM Modi-led government made Andaman and Nicobar an international scuba diving destination, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs release.

The Great Nicobar project will make the island a global cargo hub, a tourism center and a very important pillar of India's strategic security. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are becoming a center of our sovereignty, maritime power and economic activities, a release added. (ANI)