Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday extended his support to tribal residents of Bundelkhand who are holding a Satyagraha against the Ken-Betwa River Link Project in Madhya Pradesh, demanding adequate compensation and rehabilitation. In a post on X, Gandhi said he and the Congress party stood with the protesting tribal residents, "In this fight of our tribal brothers and sisters, I and the Congress stand with them."
He shared the accounts of the tribal residents and said, "The problems, demands, struggles, and personal ordeals of the tribal brothers and sisters who are carrying out a satyagraha against the Ken-Betwa project— their own account."
"For years, these residents of Bundelkhand have been enduring injustice and oppression solely for their rights; they deserve respect and support," Gandhi said. Earlier in July also, sharing a poem and visuals on X, Rahul Gandhi said that the protesters demanded fair compensation via non-violent means and termed the tribal people as the "original owners of the country. "The Congress leader alleged that the Modi government fears both truth and non-violent resistance. He criticised police action in Chhatarpur earlier this month. "The tribal brothers and sisters of Madhya Pradesh had sat on a water satyagraha and hunger strike because their land was taken away for the Ken-Betwa project, but they received neither fair compensation nor dignified rehabilitation.
The 'truth' is that tribals are the original owners of the country--the first right to water, forests, and land belongs to them alone. And their 'satyagraha' is because that very right is being snatched from them today." "In their unique way, their demand is simply this: provide a proper means of livelihood — or else life is no different from a funeral pyre. But even this is unacceptable to the BJP government. Instead of listening to them, their peaceful protest is being crushed with police force. We stand with our tribal brothers and sisters. We will secure justice for them--compensation and rehabilitation will have to be provided," he added. The Ken-Betwa Link National Project is a major irrigation project in the country adopting an underground pressurised pipe irrigation system. This project is being constructed on the Ken River in the Chhatarpur and Panna districts of Madhya Pradesh. Under the project, a 77-meter-high and 2.13-kilometre-long Daudhan Dam and 2 tunnels (upper level 1.9 km and lower level 1.1 km) will be constructed on Ken River in Panna Tiger Reserve, and 2,853 million cubic meters of water will be stored in the dam.
The surplus water of the Ken River will be transferred to the Betwa River through the 221 km long link canal from Daudhan Dam on the Ken River, providing irrigation and drinking water facilities in both states, the release stated. Through a pressurised micro-irrigation system from the project, 8.11 lakh hectares of area can be irrigated in 2 thousand villages of 10 districts, including Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Sagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Datia. About 7 lakh farmer families will benefit from the project, it added. As per the government, the project will provide drinking water to 44 lakh people of Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh people of Uttar Pradesh. Besides, the project will generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy. Madhya Pradesh will get its full benefit.
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