Benefits of Sardar Sarovar dam touted by PM Modi are bunch of lies and propaganda: Narmada Bachao Andolan

Narmada Bachao Andolan on Sunday said the benefits of the Sardar Sarovar dam “as being touted by PM Modi” while inaugurating the controversial project were “far-fetched” as they were a “bunch of lies and propaganda”.

It also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “drama” to dedicate the Sardar Sarovar dam to the nation was a “complete failure”.

"We believe that the drama of dedicating the Sardar Sarovar project to the nation on the prime minister's birthday was a complete failure. This was evident from the fact that except for Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, no one else turned up. It was announced that the chief ministers of all the BJP-ruled states would participate,” the NBA said.

Narmada Bachao Andolan - a movement led by activist Medha Patkar against the construction of large dams on Narmada River - in a statement, said it had postponed its "Jal, Zameen, Jeevika, Haq Satyagraha" and continue their protest.

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"The prime minister may want to close the chapter, but it is not since the people of the Narmada Valley have not received their full entitlement and not all is lost. Our loss will be a loss for the people fighting across the country, opposing displacement, submergence, and forcible evictions — all in the name of development," NBA said and appealed everyone to join their struggle.

The NGA also said that PM Modi’s plan to organise a “grand aarti” also failed as the 2,000 priests who were supposed to arrive from his home constituency Varanasi did not turn up.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam in Kevadia colony in Narmada district on his 67^th birthday on Sunday.