Sonia Gandhi Warns Modi Government Has ‘Signed A Death Warrant’ For Aravallis

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Modi government of exhibiting a particularly “venal streak of cynicism” toward environmental protection, claiming it has now “nearly signed a death warrant” for the Aravalli hills. She urged the government to withdraw the amendments it “bulldozed” through Parliament in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, along with the Forest Conservation Rules (2022).

Gandhi criticised the government’s move to exempt any Aravalli hills below 100 metres in height from restrictions on mining, calling it an open signal to illegal miners and mafias. She argued that nearly 90 percent of the range falls below this threshold, leaving it vulnerable to large-scale destruction.

She reflected on the historic and ecological value of the Aravalli range, which stretches from Gujarat through Rajasthan to Haryana. Describing it as a natural barrier that has slowed the spread of desertification from the Thar Desert to the Gangetic Plains and as a guardian of ancient forts such as Chittorgarh and Ranthambore, she wrote that the region has also long nurtured spiritual traditions across northwest India. Gandhi warned that the government has “nearly signed a death warrant for these hills, already denuded by illegal mining.”

Turning to air pollution, she noted that Delhi has entered its annual smog season. A thick haze of dust, smoke, and particulate matter has settled over the city, exposing millions of residents to toxic air. She cited research suggesting the crisis is a “slow-motion public health tragedy,” with annual estimates of up to 34,000 deaths across just 10 cities.

Gandhi also referred to a recent Central Ground Water Board report which found that 13 percent–15 percent of tested groundwater samples in Delhi contained uranium levels exceeding permissible limits for human consumption. She added that groundwater in Punjab and Haryana showed even higher contamination, highlighting the severe health dangers for affected populations.

According to her, these developments are interconnected symptoms of a deeper environmental crisis that has unfolded over the past decade. She said government policy has shown a consistent disregard for ecological protection since the Modi administration took office, encouraging the reckless exploitation of natural resources while ignoring long-term consequences.

Gandhi argued that the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023, has removed large categories of land and projects from forest clearance requirements, making it easier to divert forests for other uses. She also claimed that the Draft EIA Notification 2020 sought to weaken public participation, expand exemptions, and reduce compliance obligations. She criticised the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2018 for loosening construction norms along India’s coasts, opening sensitive shorelines and the habitats of fishing communities to commercial and industrial development.

She said the Environment Ministry has more often appeared in the news for bypassing due process and diluting environmental safeguards rather than strengthening them. She pointed to a growing trend of setting local communities against environmental protections whenever politically convenient. Gandhi accused the Forest Survey of India of wrongly blaming the Forest Rights Act, 2006, for declining forest cover, and noted that even the concerned minister had echoed this claim. She highlighted the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s June 2024 call to evict nearly 65,000 families from tiger reserves, which she said violated the spirit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 that requires relocations to be voluntary.

Gandhi asserted that India needs a new approach to environmental protection. She called for halting ongoing and planned deforestation in areas such as Great Nicobar, Hasdeo Aranya in north Chhattisgarh, and Dhirauli in Madhya Pradesh. She also urged action against rampant illegal mining in the Aravalli range and other fragile regions like the Western Ghats, and demanded an end to the destructive leveling of Himalayan mountains that has cost many lives in recent years.

She emphasised the need to reassess the environmental laws and policy changes enacted over the past decade, arguing that they have led the country down “this disastrous path.” Gandhi reiterated her demand that the government withdraw the amendments pushed through Parliament in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Forest Conservation Rules (2022), calling them anti-Adivasi measures that permit the clearance of forests without consulting affected communities.

She also condemned the practice of granting post-facto environmental clearances to major corporations that violate environmental laws, calling it one of the government’s “home-grown policy innovations” that cannot be allowed to continue.

With PTI inputs