Manoj Rawat🇮🇳

Sea was calm during #INSVikrant 's trial run. But it can be found rocking up and down during sea trials, its bow rising and falling and slapping against the sea. Should be the hull of the center of gravity problems, carrier-based aircraft take off and land will bring problems.

I am a Naval Veteran and Merchant Navy officer, and this is why I think @RahulGandhi is wrong on Great Nicobar. From an Indian national interest standpoint, Great Nicobar is not a “scam”; it is a strategic port located astride one of the most critical maritime chokepoints on earth, close to the Strait of Malacca, where a huge share of global trade moves every day. India cannot afford to treat Great Nicobar as a sentimental issue when it is a rare natural asset for maritime power, deterrence, and economic security. Yes, Great Nicobar is ecologically sensitive. India respects that. But national strategy is about balancing environmental safeguards with long-term security, logistics, and sovereignty. The current project is designed around an international container transshipment terminal, a dual-use airport, power infrastructure, and a planned township -all of which strengthen Indian Navy’s ability to monitor international sea lanes, improve military response times, and reduce commercial dependence on foreign transshipment hubs. To dismiss this as “destruction dressed in development’s language” is politically convenient, but strategically shallow. This kind of language suits our adversaries rather than us. India’s maritime future cannot be secured by empty slogans. It will be secured by developing ports, airfields, logistics nodes, surveillance, and persistent military presence in the Indo-Pacific. That is exactly why Great Nicobar matters. The real question is not whether development should happen, but how to execute strategic development responsibly while protecting our National interest. We can and should demand strict environmental compliance, tribal safeguards, and transparent implementation not reject a project that strengthens India’s maritime security simply because it is complex and uncomfortable. Great Nicobar is not just an island. It is a test of whether India can step up to its destined role as a great maritime power or remain trapped in slogan politics.

I am a Naval Veteran and Merchant Navy officer, and this is why I think @RahulGandhi is wrong on Great Nicobar. From an Indian national interest standpoint, Great Nicobar is not a “scam”; it is a strategic port located astride one of the most critical maritime chokepoints on earth, close to the Strait of Malacca, where a huge share of global trade moves every day. India cannot afford to treat Great Nicobar as a sentimental issue when it is a rare natural asset for maritime power, deterrence, and economic security. Yes, Great Nicobar is ecologically sensitive. India respects that. But national strategy is about balancing environmental safeguards with long-term security, logistics, and sovereignty. The current project is designed around an international container transshipment terminal, a dual-use airport, power infrastructure, and a planned township -all of which strengthen Indian Navy’s ability to monitor international sea lanes, improve military response times, and reduce commercial dependence on foreign transshipment hubs. To dismiss this as “destruction dressed in development’s language” is politically convenient, but strategically shallow. This kind of language suits our adversaries rather than us. India’s maritime future cannot be secured by empty slogans. It will be secured by developing ports, airfields, logistics nodes, surveillance, and persistent military presence in the Indo-Pacific. That is exactly why Great Nicobar matters. The real question is not whether development should happen, but how to execute strategic development responsibly while protecting our National interest. We can and should demand strict environmental compliance, tribal safeguards, and transparent implementation not reject a project that strengthens India’s maritime security simply because it is complex and uncomfortable. Great Nicobar is not just an island. It is a test of whether India can step up to its destined role as a great maritime power or remain trapped in slogan politics.

I am a Naval Veteran and Merchant Navy officer, and this is why I think @RahulGandhi is wrong on Great Nicobar. From an Indian national interest standpoint, Great Nicobar is not a “scam”; it is a strategic port located astride one of the most critical maritime chokepoints on earth, close to the Strait of Malacca, where a huge share of global trade moves every day. India cannot afford to treat Great Nicobar as a sentimental issue when it is a rare natural asset for maritime power, deterrence, and economic security. Yes, Great Nicobar is ecologically sensitive. India respects that. But national strategy is about balancing environmental safeguards with long-term security, logistics, and sovereignty. The current project is designed around an international container transshipment terminal, a dual-use airport, power infrastructure, and a planned township -all of which strengthen Indian Navy’s ability to monitor international sea lanes, improve military response times, and reduce commercial dependence on foreign transshipment hubs. To dismiss this as “destruction dressed in development’s language” is politically convenient, but strategically shallow. This kind of language suits our adversaries rather than us. India’s maritime future cannot be secured by empty slogans. It will be secured by developing ports, airfields, logistics nodes, surveillance, and persistent military presence in the Indo-Pacific. That is exactly why Great Nicobar matters. The real question is not whether development should happen, but how to execute strategic development responsibly while protecting our National interest. We can and should demand strict environmental compliance, tribal safeguards, and transparent implementation not reject a project that strengthens India’s maritime security simply because it is complex and uncomfortable. Great Nicobar is not just an island. It is a test of whether India can step up to its destined role as a great maritime power or remain trapped in slogan politics.