On 8 September 2025, in an editorial for The Hindu titled “The Making of an Ecological Disaster in Nicobar,” Sonia Gandhi condemned the ₹72,000 crore Great Nicobar Project. She branded the initiative a “misguided and extravagant expenditure” and an “ecological disaster in the making,” arguing it poses an “existential threat to the island’s indigenous communities” and endangers its “unique and fragile ecosystem.”
This report highlights ten incidents from 2017 to 2025 in which the Indian National Congress opposed key Indian development projects.
#1 Congress Calls Great Nicobar Project “A Misadventure”
On 8 September 2025, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, in a column for The Hindu titled “The Making of an Ecological Disaster in Nicobar”, dismissed the ₹72,000 crore Great Nicobar Island Project at Galathea Bay as a “completely miscalculated expenditure.” She warned that the proposed major port would pose an existential threat to the island’s indigenous communities and devastate its unique ecosystems. Rahul Gandhi echoed her stance, sharing the editorial and cautioning that the project would displace villages, endanger tribal populations, and irreparably damage the fragile environment.
#2 Congress Protests Vizag Steel Plant Privatization
On 6 September 2025, at the Andhra Pradesh Udyamala Aikya Vedika meeting in Visakhapatnam, state Congress leader Sunkara Padma Sri, along with members of farmers’ forums, opposed the privatization of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and the large-scale land acquisitions for green energy projects. Padma Sri argued that farmers were being displaced in the name of green energy while vast tracts of land already acquired for projects such as Lepakshi Knowledge Hub and Jindal Alumina remained idle. The gathering expressed strong resistance to both central and state government policies on the steel plant and land acquisition.
Congress leader YS Sharmila issued a stern ultimatum to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant management, accusing it of authoritarianism and ignoring workers’ grievances as a strike looms. Posting on X, she condemned the “arrogant” stance, cited termination of 2,000 contract workers and planned layoffs of 3,000 more, suspensions of dissenting employees, and eight months’ unpaid salaries for regular staff. She demanded immediate reinstatement, clearance of pending wages, revocation of the January 2021 privatization decision, and a formal merger with SAIL.
#3 Congress Terms Chhattisgarh Skywalk Reconstruction Wasteful
On 17 May 2025, the Chhattisgarh Congress opposed the state government’s decision to reconstruct the skywalk in the capital, calling it an impractical and wasteful project. Party spokesperson Dhananjay Singh Thakur argued that despite heavy expenditure, the skywalk remained incomplete and failed to serve its purpose. He urged the government to drop the plan and instead build a flyover that would address traffic concerns more effectively.
#4 Congress Questions Centre on Kutch Renewable Energy Park
On 12 February 2025, the Congress demanded clarity from the Union government over a Guardian report alleging that rules on land allocation near international borders were altered to benefit the Adani Group’s renewable energy project in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch, close to the India-Pakistan border. The following day, Congress MP Manickam Tagore submitted a notice in the Lok Sabha seeking an adjournment motion to debate the reported relaxation of national security protocols for the Khavda Renewable Energy Project.
#5 Congress Opposes Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway
On 29 June 2024, proceedings in the Maharashtra Legislative Council were adjourned after Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) members staged protests against the proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway. Raising the issue through a calling attention motion, Congress MLC Satej Patil, along with other legislators, demanded that the project be scrapped, questioning the need for a new expressway when an existing road already connects the route.
#6 Congress Alleges Corruption in Bharatmala Highway Projects
On 3 September 2023, the Congress accused the Central government of corruption and favoritism in the Bharatmala Pariyojana highway projects, citing a CAG report that flagged inflated costs and lack of transparency. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier, on August 14, raised concerns over corruption in infrastructure projects, while party leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that contracts were awarded to Prime Minister Modi’s close associates and electoral bond donors. The Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to develop 35,000 km of national highways to improve freight movement across India.
#7 Congress Resists Aarey Metro Car Shed Project
On 30 June 2022, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole opposed the state government’s decision to construct the Mumbai Metro car shed in Aarey, arguing that it posed risks to public health. Despite the pressing need to expand metro infrastructure in the city, the Congress revived objections similar to those raised during earlier protests under the Fadnavis and Maha Vikas Aghadi governments, thereby stalling progress on the project.
#8 Congress Demands Suspension of Central Vista Project
On 7 April 2020, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging suspension of the ₹20,000 crore Central Vista project, calling it wasteful during the pandemic, and also advised a two-year ban on all non-COVID government advertisements. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, on May 2, 2020, echoed the demand, terming the project and proposed mega secretariats in 17 state capitals a “criminal waste” of public money. Later, on 7 May 2021, Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the Central Vista was a “criminal wastage,” urging the government to prioritize people’s lives over extravagance.
#9 Congress Stages Protest Against Rafale Deal
On 13 February 2019, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led a protest outside Parliament against the Rafale deal, carrying paper planes and posters to allege corruption in the multi-crore aircraft purchase. Earlier, in December 2018, MPs from Congress and CPI(M) had submitted adjournment motion notices in the Lok Sabha over the issue. However, on 14 December 2018, the Supreme Court dismissed all petitions seeking a court-monitored probe, stating that no evidence of commercial favoritism was found in the deal.
#10 Congress Questions Viability of Bullet Train Project
On 14 September 2017, the Congress party raised objections to the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, questioning its economic feasibility. Party leader Mallikarjun Kharge clarified that while Congress was not opposed to development projects, the bullet train was not economically viable and therefore an unsustainable investment.
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