Rahul congratulates tribals for winning battle against mining

BHUBANESWAR - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Thursday congratulated the tribals in Orissa for winning a major battle against a mining project in their area.

“You protected your land,” Gandhi told a massive gathering at Jagannathpur village near the Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district, in reference to the rejection of a bauxite mining project proposed by the Vedanta group in the area.

“Some people have alleged that it was against development, but that is not true,” he said of the union environment ministry’s rejection of the project.

The real meaning of development is where the voices of the poor are heard and not by snatching away the rights of the people, Gandhi said.

Describing his previous visit to the area in 2008, Gandhi said he has been standing with the tribals and for their cause, adding that their peaceful protests had been heard not only in Delhi but also abroad.

The Congress, he said, was commited to protecting the interests of the poor and tribals and cited examples of various developmental projects undertaken in the party ruled states of Delhi, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.

Thousands of Dongaria Kondh and Kutia Kondh tribals welcomed Gandhi at the Tribal Rights Day organised by the Youth Congress. Many of them wore traditional dresses and performed traditional dance to the beat of drums and other musical instruments.

The union environment ministry Tuesday rejected London-listed Vedanta group’s bauxite mining project, saying it would affect the tribals living in the area and the environment.

Gandhi had visited the Lanjigarh area in 2008 and extended his support to the tribals opposed to mining in the area.