Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the government had launched a “propaganda campaign” to portray critics of the Great Nicobar Island Project as sympathetic to China. File photo.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Congress on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) said the Great Nicobar Island Project is a commercial venture with no military component, accusing the Narendra Modi government of trying to label those opposed to the proposed transshipment hub on the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago as being “soft on China”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the government had launched a “propaganda campaign” through its “ecosystem” to portray critics of the Great Nicobar Island Project as sympathetic to China. He also accused the Centre of pursuing what he termed a policy of “Continuing, Calibrated Capitulation to China”.
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In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh described the charge against opponents of the project as “the height of hypocrisy” and sought to turn the criticism back on the government.
He referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 19, 2020 remarks following the clashes in Ladakh, alleging that the Prime Minister had given China an “inexplicable clean chit” in what he called an insult to the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash.
The Congress leader also claimed that the government, in its negotiations with China, had surrendered “traditional patrolling and herding rights” in several areas of Ladakh.
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Mr. Ramesh further pointed to India’s trade imbalance with China, asserting that the country recorded a trade deficit of about $115 billion with Beijing in 2025-26, which he said had adversely affected Indian industry, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises.
He also accused the prime minister of remaining silent on claims by senior Army officers regarding China’s alleged role in planning and monitoring Pakistan’s response during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
Arguing that India must continue to address the economic and strategic challenge posed by China on multiple fronts, Mr. Ramesh maintained that the Great Nicobar Island Project was “overwhelmingly a commercial enterprise” and that the proposed trans-shipment port “has no component of military infrastructure”.
“Ways to expand that infrastructure at INS Baaz and other location of the Andaman & Nicobar Command have been suggested but are being ignored for long because the Great Nicobar Island Project that the PM is bulldozing through is, in all likelihood, going to be part of the sprawling Modani business empire,”the Congress general secretary said.
Mr. Ramesh warned that the project would have “disastrous ecological and humanitarian impacts”.
Published – May 20, 2026 12:13 pm IST
