Raut alleged that Nikam had compromised his reputation for the sake of a parliamentary seat by supporting the project. While expressing respect for Nikam and describing him as a friend, Raut accused him of defending the interests of the company instead of those of local residents, workers and the people of Maharashtra.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, October 27, Raut claimed that 33,000 trees would be felled in the first phase of the project, describing the proposed cutting as equivalent to destroying an entire forest. He said the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary was located 20 kilometres from the area and referred to the Sai forest, where tribal communities reside.
Raut said land, water and forests were the property of tribal communities. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign slogan, “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, he questioned whose interests were being served when trees planted and protected by the Katkari tribal community were cut down. He asked whether tribal people did not have mothers and whether the campaign’s message applied only to the BJP, Adani or the owners of Torrent Power.
According to Raut, local residents had informed him that the hills contained several medicinal plants traditionally used to treat snakebites, scorpion stings, asthma and other conditions. He said people visited a local temple in the village, where traditional remedies had been used for generations to counter the effects of venom and save lives.
Raut alleged that the government led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had granted permission to Torrent Power, referring to the company’s owners as people named Mehta and Shah from Gujarat, and handed over the entire forest to the company. He accused the government of destroying Maharashtra’s forests and the Sahyadri mountain ranges associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to benefit private industrial interests.
He further alleged that farmers opposing the project were being threatened with firearms. According to Raut, thousands of police personnel from Raigad district had been deployed at the site in a show of force against villagers. He said he had spoken to Aaditya Thackeray and local residents the previous day and warned that the protest would continue beyond its current stage.
Raut also said Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray was scheduled to visit the area the following day. He added that nature lovers and environmental activists from across the country had contacted his side and were expected to join the campaign against the project.
Responding to Torrent Power’s explanation that the project would operate for 60 years and include wildlife conservation measures, Raut questioned how such commitments could compensate for the destruction of centuries-old trees. He asked where replacement saplings would be planted when suitable land was unavailable.
Citing the felling of 3,000 trees in Mumbai’s Aarey area, Raut questioned what had happened to the wildlife living there and whether anyone had investigated the consequences. He alleged that trees had been cut at night and that birds and animals had suffered as their nests, eggs, young ones and habitats were destroyed.
Raut also referred to accounts he said he had heard about the Karjat site, claiming that thousands of parrots, peacocks and other birds and animals had been distressed by the destruction of their habitats. He criticised the Maharashtra and Central governments, arguing that their environment ministries should be abolished if they could not prevent such damage.
Accusing the government of taking money from industrialists in exchange for allowing trees to be felled, Raut said this was unacceptable. However, he clarified that he was not opposed to industries coming to Maharashtra, describing the state as an industrially friendly destination since the time of former Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan.
Raut said Maharashtra’s industrial development had begun long before the Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis governments. He pointed to the hundreds of mills that operated in Mumbai during British rule and argued that successive governments had established industrial infrastructure in the state.
He referred to industrial development during the tenures of Yashwantrao Chavan, Sharad Pawar and former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, saying the Shiv Sena-led government under Joshi had also brought industrial projects to Maharashtra. He accused the current leadership of boasting about attracting investment while industries had moved out of the state. He further alleged that the government wanted to channel investments, which he described as black money, primarily from Gujarat.
Raut also raised concerns about the possibility of earthquakes in the future because of the water reservoirs associated with the project. He questioned why Nikam, whom he described as one of the country’s prominent lawyers, was defending Torrent Power rather than standing with local villagers, workers and Maharashtra’s people.
Criticising Nikam’s public defence of the project, Raut said it was unfortunate that the senior lawyer was promoting the project as environmentally beneficial. He alleged that joining the BJP had forced Nikam to sacrifice his reputation for a parliamentary seat. While reiterating his personal regard for Nikam, Raut accused the BJP of being a party with “demonic” thinking and claimed that its ideology had influenced the lawyer.
Drawing a comparison with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab, Raut said that cutting down 10 trees was equivalent to one Kasab in the way his side viewed the destruction of nature. He argued that those responsible for killing nature should be weighed on the same scale as Kasab and accused Nikam of defending those responsible for environmental destruction, comparing it to defending accused persons in bomb blast cases.
Raut also referred to proposed mining and power projects in the Chandrapur region of Vidarbha, alleging that 5,000 trees would be cut or had already been cut to facilitate Adani-related projects. He extended his criticism to forest destruction in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and urged lawyers such as Nikam not to defend those he accused of destroying the environment.
Speaking about the proposed Adani Power project in a tiger corridor in Vidarbha, where approximately 5,000 trees would reportedly have to be felled, Raut challenged the authorities to proceed with the tree cutting. He accused Adani of damaging India’s reputation internationally and questioned why Fadnavis was unable to oppose the project.
Raut said Vidarbha was nationally recognised for its forests and tiger reserves and accused the government of putting these ecological assets at risk for Adani’s benefit. He urged Fadnavis, whom he described as a son of Vidarbha, to oppose the move. He also called on former Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who is from the same region, to organise a protest, saying his side would participate.
Questioning the need for projects that would require the destruction of thousands of trees in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli for the benefit of one industrialist, Raut said Maharashtra should not have to bear the burden of such developments. He said the state needed industrialists but named Tata, Birla, Kirloskar and Mahindra as examples of the kind of industrial groups he wanted to see.
Raut acknowledged that industrialists had contributed to Mumbai’s prosperity and rejected the suggestion that he opposed industry or business owners. Referring to the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s position, he said industry should continue to operate and industrialists should prosper because workers’ livelihoods depended on them.
The dispute over the Karjat project has therefore expanded beyond allegations of tree felling to a wider political confrontation over forest conservation, tribal livelihoods, industrial investment and the environmental impact of major infrastructure projects. While Nikam has described the proposed pumped-storage project as environmentally friendly, Raut has demanded accountability over the proposed removal of thousands of trees and called for wider public opposition to the project.
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