NEW DELHI: Former Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, expressed support for tribals staging a ‘satyagraha’ against the Ken-Betwa river-linking project.
Sharing a video on X of his recent meeting with a group of tribals affected by the project, Gandhi said their problems, demands, struggles and personal ordeals reflected the difficulties they had faced while fighting for their rights.
He said the residents of Bundelkhand had been enduring injustice and oppression for years and deserved respect and support.
केन-बेतवा परियोजना के खिलाफ सत्याग्रह कर रहे आदिवासी भाई-बहनों की समस्याएं, मांगें, संघर्ष और आपबीती – उनकी जुबानी।
सालों से सिर्फ़ अपने अधिकारों के लिए अन्याय और अत्याचार सह रहे ये बुंदेलखंड निवासी सम्मान और समर्थन के हक़दार हैं।
Also Readआदिवासी भाई-बहनों की इस लड़ाई में, मैं और… pic.twitter.com/graNKRt4IE
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 19, 2026
“In this fight of our tribal brothers and sisters, the Congress and I stand with them,” Gandhi said in his post.
In the video, a tribal representative claimed that the project would affect 21 tribal-dominated villages and impact approximately 4.6 million (46 lakh) trees, besides affecting the Panna Tiger Reserve.
The representative also claimed that around 11,500 acres of land belonging to approximately 7,000 families would be lost to the project.
The tribal representatives urged Gandhi to raise in Parliament the issue of alleged harassment by the administration and join their movement.
In response, Gandhi assured them that he would visit the site and put pressure on the government.
The Rs 44,605-crore Ken-Betwa Link Project is the country’s first river-linking project under the National Perspective Plan. It aims to irrigate 1.062 million hectares of land, provide drinking water to about 6.2 million people and generate hydropower in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spanning Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
