The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Congress party has launched a pointed critique of the BJP-led government’s approach to environmental protection, focusing particularly on recent changes to the Forest Conservation Act. Party leader Jairam Ramesh voiced these concerns amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bastar, Chhattisgarh, highlighting the potential threats to the Hasdeo Aranya forest, known as the state’s “lungs” due to its dense biodiversity.
Ramesh accused the Modi government of prioritizing corporate relationships over environmental stewardship and community rights. “The dealings of the BJP here have shown that their friendship with corporate cronies runs much deeper than their sense of duty to the people,” Ramesh stated. He referenced the Forest Conservation Amendment Act, which he claims undermines the Forest Rights Act of 2006 by eliminating requirements for local community consent and other statutory clearances for forest development projects.
Highlighting past actions, Ramesh reminded that during Congress’s tenure, 40 coal blocks within the Hasdeo Aranya forest were cancelled by the Union Coal Ministry to protect this crucial ecological area—a decision reversed by the current BJP government in the state.
Further criticism was directed at the BJP’s handling of the Nagarnar Steel Plant in Bastar, initially developed under the Manmohan Singh-led government. Despite public assurances made last year by Home Minister Amit Shah that the plant would not be privatized, Ramesh challenged the BJP to prove that there are no plans to sell the plant to private entities.
These allegations come as part of Congress’s broader accusation that the BJP is compromising India’s environmental and tribal rights for commercial gains. The debate continues as both parties articulate their visions for the country’s ecological and economic future in the lead-up to the upcoming elections.