Urban Naxals prevented construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Urban Naxals and anti-development elements with political backing had stymied the Sardar Sarovar Dam project by claiming it would harm the environment. This delay cost a significant amount of money. You'll be able to see how shaky their claims were once the dam is completed."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that 'Urban Naxals and Anti-development elements' with political backing had stymied the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river in Gujarat for many years by running an environmental campaign.

He was speaking to the Environment Ministers of various states after virtually inaugurating the National Conference of Environment Ministers via video conference at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat's Narmada district.

"Urban Naxals and anti-development elements with political backing had stymied the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam by claiming that the project would harm the environment. This delay cost a lot of money. When the dam is finished, you'll be able to see how shaky their claims were," according to Modi.

Some segments of the political spectrum frequently use the term 'Urban Naxal' to describe Naxalism sympathisers and certain social activists.

"These urban Naxals continue to operate. I implore you to ensure that projects aimed at improving the ease of doing business or the quality of life are not unnecessarily stalled in the name of the environment. To counter such people's conspiracy, we need a balanced approach," the prime minister added.

(With inputs from PTI)