In the last few years, India has launched some of its biggest projects in infrastructure, energy, and national security, programs meant to change the country’s economy and strengthen its global position. But the Indian National Congress has often opposed these efforts, saying they are harmful to the environment, too costly, or driven by politics.
From the Rafale fighter jet deal to the Great Nicobar Project, Congress leaders have raised objections, held protests, and even demanded that projects be stopped. Supporters of these projects see them as proof of India’s growth and rising power, while Congress has described them as wasteful, corrupt, or damaging to local people.
This report looks at ten major cases between 2017 and 2025 where Congress stood against key projects of the Modi government and its partners.
1. Sonia Gandhi’s Nicobar Editorial: “A Misadventure”
On September 8, 2025, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, in an editorial for The Hindu titled “The Making of an Ecological Disaster in Nicobar,” denounced the Rs 72,000 crore Great Nicobar Project. She warned that the massive infrastructure plan at Galathea Bay was a “misguided and extravagant expenditure” and an “existential threat” to the island’s indigenous communities. Gandhi argued it would devastate fragile ecosystems, while Rahul Gandhi amplified her warning on social media, calling the project a danger to tribal populations and the environment.
2. Vizag steel plant privatisation row
Barely two days earlier, on September 6, 2025, the Congress in Andhra Pradesh joined hands with farmers forums at the Andhra Pradesh Udyamala Aikya Vedika meeting in Visakhapatnam to oppose the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. State Congress leader Sunkara Padma Sri alleged that land acquired in the name of green energy projects had displaced farmers, while other vast tracts remained unused.
Congress leader YS Sharmila sharpened the attack, calling the steel plant management “arrogant” for terminating 2,000 workers, planning layoffs of 3,000 more, suspending dissenters, and withholding salaries for eight months. She demanded an immediate reversal of the 2021 privatisation decision and the plant’s merger with SAIL.
3. Chhattisgarh Skywalk reconstruction dispute
On May 17, 2025, the Chhattisgarh Congress branded the state government’s plan to reconstruct the Raipur skywalk as “wasteful.” Party spokesperson Dhananjay Singh Thakur said the incomplete project had already drained resources and urged the government to abandon it in favour of a flyover that would address traffic problems more effectively.
4. Questions over Kutch renewable energy park
On February 12, 2025, the Congress raised suspicions about the Khavda Renewable Energy Project in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch, after a Guardian report alleged that land rules near the Indo-Pak border had been relaxed to favour the Adani Group. A day later, Congress MP Manickam Tagore demanded an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, warning that the project had potentially compromised national security.
5. The Nagpur–Goa Shaktipeeth expressway
On June 29, 2024, proceedings in the Maharashtra Legislative Council came to a standstill after Congress MLC Satej Patil and other MVA members staged protests against the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway, insisting an existing road already served the route and branding the project unnecessary.
6. Allegations in Bharatmala Highway development
On September 3, 2023, the Congress accused the Modi government of corruption in the Bharatmala Pariyojana highway projects, citing a CAG report that flagged inflated costs and irregularities. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge had raised concerns weeks earlier, while Jairam Ramesh alleged that contracts were granted to “cronies and electoral bond donors.”
7. Opposition to Mumbai’s Aarey Metro car shed
On June 30, 2022, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole revived protests against the Mumbai Metro car shed at Aarey, claiming it posed risks to public health and the environment. Despite Mumbai’s urgent need for expanded metro connectivity, Congress joined environmental activists in stalling the project, echoing earlier protests against the Fadnavis government.
8. Resistance to Central Vista redevelopment
During the pandemic, Congress intensified its opposition to the Central Vista Project. On 7 April 2020, Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Modi, urging suspension of the Rs 20,000 crore initiative, calling it “wasteful in times of crisis.” Senior leader Anand Sharma labelled it a “criminal waste,” while on May 7, 2021, Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the Vista was a “criminal wastage” when lives should have been prioritised.
9. Rafale Deal controversy
The Rafale deal became one of the fiercest battlegrounds. On February 13, 2019, Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and former PM Manmohan Singh, led protests outside Parliament with paper planes and placards, alleging corruption. Yet, on December 14, 2018, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking a probe, stating there was no evidence of commercial favouritism.
10. The Bullet Train debate
The saga began in September 2017, when Congress opposed the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train Project. Mallikarjun Kharge clarified that while Congress was not against development, the high-speed rail venture was “not economically viable” and risked being a financial burden on the nation.
A pattern of resistance?
Taken together, these episodes, from big-ticket projects like the bullet train and Bharatmala highways to strategic initiatives such as the Rafale jets and the Great Nicobar port, show a clear pattern of obstruction. Congress leaders have consistently opposed, disrupted, and tried to derail almost every major initiative launched in the past decade.
But the question is: what moral ground does Congress have to oppose development today? When in power, the party was mired in corruption scandals, from the 2G scam to the Commonwealth Games fiasco, squandering opportunities to push India forward. Now, when the Modi government undertakes ambitious projects for national security, infrastructure, and global competitiveness, Congress seems more interested in throwing roadblocks than offering constructive solutions.
It appears less about accountability and more about political mileage, a desperate attempt to discredit the government at any cost. While Congress tries to package its objections as concerns for the environment or public interest, the reality is that these repeated interventions expose a party that cannot digest India’s rise under a leadership other than its own.
Between 2017 and 2025, Congress has become the loudest voice of dissent not out of vision but out of compulsion, raising questions not to strengthen India’s progress but to weaken it. The real debate, therefore, is whether India should trust a party that squandered decades in power, or a government that is finally putting bold ideas into action for the larger good.
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