Cong, DMK protest in Lok Sabha over renewable project near Indo-Pak border

Opposition members, mainly from the Congress and the DMK, on Wednesday staged a protest in the Lok Sabha over clearance granted to a renewable energy project near the India-Pakistan border and staged a walk out after "not getting a satisfactory reply" from the government.

Asking a supplementary during Question Hour, Manish Tewari of the Congress said national security and energy security have to go hand in hand.

He claimed the mixed renewable energy project will run up to one kilometer of the International Border (IB) and noted that as per security protocol, any big infrastructure project should be at least 10 km away from the IB.

He asked whether any relaxation was granted to the proposed project.

The government asserted that nods and licences to any proposal are granted after obtaining clearances from the Centre, the state and relevant agencies.

New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said the government is keen to produce renewable energy in the country.

He said clearances are sought from the central, state government and relevant agencies before licences are issued and nod is granted.

Not satisfied with the reply, Congress members raised slogans on national security and stormed the Well of the House.

They, along with DMK members, then staged a walkout.

Later, speaking with reporters outside Parliament, Tewari said, "There needs to be a balance in energy security and national security. A big renewable energy project is coming up in Khavda. That project is one km away from Pakistan border, as per the directions on national security, no project can come up in 10 km distance from the border. We asked the question, there was no answer, hence we boycotted the Parliament."  Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurv Gogoi said the Congress wanted to know whether the Adani Group is above national security that the apprehensions expressed by the army were ignored for the profit of the group.

"No satisfactory answer has been given by the government. The party that seeks votes on national security has ignored national security for facilitating the close friend of Narendra Modi. We condemn this and seek a satisfactory answer from the government," Gogoi said.

The Congress had recently hit out at the Centre, alleging that it has endangered national security to benefit private billionaires, over reports that border security rules were relaxed for a business group to set up an energy park.