Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday slammed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju for alleging that Rahul Gandhi's scuba diving in the Andaman Sea incurred an expenditure of Rs 26 crore, saying the BJP leader has assumed the role of "Minister for Defamation".
He also alleged the minister's statement was intended to either discourage tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands or divert people's attention from concerns surrounding the proposed Great Nicobar development project.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been facing heat from the ruling BJP-led NDA over his criticism of the project in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
During his visit to the island in late April, the senior Congress leader had termed the project "one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against the natural and tribal heritage of the country".
On June 5, which is observed as World Environment Day, Gandhi shared a video of his visit to the island and his scuba diving off its coast. In a post with the clip, he accused the Narendra Modi government of "taking away the land of Tribal communities by violating the Forest Rights Act".
Last Saturday, Rijiju referred to Gandhi's scuba diving video to say, "Behind that one scuba diving, an expenditure of Rs 26 crore was made and the entire ecosystem spread that news, linking that scuba diving with marine life and environment... such propaganda was spread."
"But people now know everything. You cannot come to power, so why do you want to destroy the country's growth, assets and our future?" he posed.
Hitting back, Tagore in a post on X said that Rijiju "seems to have taken up a new portfolio, that of Minister for Defamation".
"His claim that Rahul Gandhi's scuba diving visit to Andaman involved an expenditure of Rs 26 crore is absurd and raises more questions than answers."
Asserting that scuba diving is a popular tourist activity in the Andaman Islands, he said, "Are we now to believe that every tourist who dives in Andaman is spending crores?"
"Why is a Union Minister spreading such misinformation? Is it to discourage tourism in the Andaman? Or is it to distract attention from serious questions being raised about the future of Great Nicobar and the concerns over handing over valuable national assets and resources to Adani's interests?" Tagore posed.
"Andaman and Nicobar Islands are not for sale. Development cannot mean sacrificing ecology, livelihoods, and national assets for the benefit of a few corporate houses. The people deserve answers, not propaganda," he added.
