Spokesperson: Dr. Vikrant Bhuria: AICC Scheduled Tribe Department National Chairman Dr. Vikrant Bhuria has termed the Modi government anti-tribal and said that tribals are being stripped of their water, forests and land everywhere, whether in Sijimali or Hasdeo. It has also flagged the looting of tribal resources by the BJP government at the Centre in the name of the proposed Great Nicobar development project, alleging that the government was using the cover of national security to dispossess tribal communities of their land and natural resources.

Raising concerns over deforestation in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo forests, Odisha’s Sijimali region, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and the issue of delisting of tribal communities, Bhuria claimed that the BJP was systematically trying to weaken tribal identity, constitutional protections, and land rights.

Speaking about the Great Nicobar project, Dr. Vikrant Bhuria alleged that nearly one crore trees would be cut for the project and claimed that plans for large-scale townships and casinos were part of the proposal.

He further alleged that the entire island would eventually be handed over to industrialist Gautam Adani, asserting that this was the BJP government’s ultimate objective. He noted that Great Nicobar has been recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and accused the government of ignoring ecological sensitivities.

The Congress leader also highlighted the island’s seismic vulnerability, noting that the region falls in an extremely sensitive earthquake zone. Settling lakhs of people there, he said, would expose them to grave risks.

On the issue of the Uniform Civil Code and tribal delisting, Dr. Vikrant Bhuria described them as “a major attack on tribal rights”. He alleged that the BJP intended to divide tribal communities and reduce their population figures in order to weaken reservation benefits and reduce the number of reserved Assembly and Lok Sabha seats. Monday, May 25, 2026