Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government demanding the explanation as to why the government had relaxed defence restrictions to make way for a renewable energy project allocated to the Adani Group in 2023 in Gujarat’s Kutch region.
Earlier in the day, Scroll, The Guardian and The News Minute reported that in a meeting held in Delhi in April 2023, the Ministry of Defence agreed to allow solar panels and wind turbines to be built a km from the Pakistan border despite “apprehension” about its implications for tank mobilisation.
No major construction beyond existing villages and roads up to 10 km from the border was allowed earlier. The BJP government in Gujarat had written to the Union government before April 2023, asking for the rules to be relaxed for the Khavda plant, The Guardian reported.
The report pointed out that in May 2023, the Union government informed all states and Union territories of the new guidelines allowing wind turbines to be erected from 1 km to 2 km from the border. The Centre also allowed the installation of hybrid renewable energy plants between 2 km and 8 km of the border.
The guidelines also apply to India’s borders with Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Nepal.
The Adani Group is constructing solar panels and wind turbines 1 km from the border in Khavda on land leased by the Gujarat government. The Rann of Kutch, where the plant is, has been targeted by Pakistan in earlier conflicts.
What happens if there is the need to lay mines, anti-tank and anti-personnel?” The Guardian quoted an unidentified defence official as having asked. “What about the concept of space and surprise in offensive and defensive operations?”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Khavda Renewable Energy Park, which is the largest renewable project in the world, in December 2020.
Referring to the report, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that the BJP’s “pseudo-nationalism face” had been unmasked once again. “You have endangered national security at our borders in order to benefit private billionaires!” Kharge said.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have for long accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in states of favouritism towards the Adani Group, among some other conglomerates.
Kharge raised a series of questions to the Union government and reiterated concerns raised by defence officials in the report.
The Congress president said: “Why would you allow a huge private project, within easy striking distance of the India-Pakistan border, thereby increasing the defence responsibilities of our Armed Forces and reducing their strategic advantages?”
Congress leader KC Venugopal said that allowing the construction of energy projects a km from the Pakistan border was “extremely dangerous and goes against all established military norms”.
“What is shocking is that the BJP-run Gujarat government and the Centre held secret meetings to convince and steamroll military officials to award the project to Adani,” alleged Venugopal. “Disregarding senior military officers, they not only made an exception for this project, but for all potential ventures across India’s borders with all other countries.”
He added that the prime minister and the defence minister must explain why “such a drastic step to compromise our national security was taken”.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said: “Nothing curious about this deal really. That was the gameplan. Modi Hai to Adani Hai [there is Adani if there is Modi] and vice versa.”
