Rajasthan Congress Threatens Mass Protests Over New Aravalli Mining Definition

The Rajasthan Congress has threatened to launch a statewide mass agitation if any part of the Aravalli Range is opened up for mining under a newly notified definition, warning that the move has triggered widespread public anger, particularly among the youth.

Addressing the media, Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of engineering the change to benefit large mining corporations. He alleged that companies which had funded the BJP would be the primary beneficiaries of the revised guidelines.

“There is massive resentment over the Aravalli issue, especially among young people,” Dotasra said, warning that the Congress would intensify protests if mining activities were permitted in the ecologically sensitive hills.

Rajasthan has witnessed multiple demonstrations over the past few days by Congress workers, environmental activists, and social organisations. Protesters argue that the revised definition of the Aravalli Hills effectively weakens environmental safeguards and opens vast stretches of hilly terrain to commercial mining.

The Congress has strongly rejected the defence offered by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who stated that mining would be allowed in only 0.19 per cent of the Aravalli region and that the change was necessary to curb illegal mining. Opposition leaders claim that even this percentage could translate into mining across nearly 68,000 hectares, much of it located in Rajasthan.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot described the move as a conspiracy to commercially exploit one of India’s oldest mountain ranges under the guise of protection. He also criticised changes to the Central Empowered Committee, arguing that bringing it under the Union Environment Ministry weakened its independence and effectiveness.

Adding to the controversy, Rajasthan Assembly Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully claimed that a mine owner had complained to the Prime Minister’s Office about being asked to pay a bribe for mining permissions in the region.

The protests began after reports that the Supreme Court of India accepted a new definition of the Aravalli Hills based on recommendations from a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Under the revised criteria, an Aravalli hill is defined as land with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief, while an Aravalli range comprises two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.

Environmentalists warn that the revised definition could strip legal protection from nearly 90 per cent of the Aravallis, leading to irreversible ecological damage.

The Rajasthan BJP, however, dismissed the Congress’s allegations. Party leader Ramlal Sharma claimed that the new policy would actually reduce the area available for mining compared to the previous Congress-led government.