Aug 10, 2020: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the objective of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 draft is "loot of the nation" and demanded that it must be withdrawn to stop environmental destruction. "The objective of the EIA2020 draft is clear - #LootOfTheNation This is another terrible example of what the BJP government has been doing for the 'friends' of the suit-boot who have robbed the resources of the country. EIA 2020 draft must be withdrawn to stop #LootOfTheNation and environmental destruction," Gandhi tweeted.

The former Congress chief termed the EIA 2020 draft, which has been placed by the BJP government for public feedback, as "disgraceful and dangerous." The Wayanad MP termed the EIA 2020 draft as a 'disaster', stating that it "seeks to silence the voice of communities who will be directly impacted by the environmental degradation it unleashes." Urging the people of the country to protest against the draft, he said: "I urge every Indian to rise up and protest against it. Our youth, who have always been at the forefront of every battle to protect our environment, must take up this cause and make it their own. A fight to protect our environment cuts across political and ideological beliefs. If nothing else, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how fragile human life is. For millions of Indians, already living on the edge, the environment isn't an abstract term, but a life and livelihood issue." "If EIA 2020 is notified by the Government, the long term consequences of the widespread environmental degradation will be catastrophic for us and future generations of Indians," he added.

On Thursday, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had issued a point by point rebuttal to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's objections on the Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020 and termed the "publicity" of his letter as "premature". He had asserted that the final notification has not been issued and the draft notification is still open for public consultation for more than 120 days. Referring to a tweet on EIA notification by Ramesh, Javadekar had said he had sent a detailed response to his July 25 letter in the morning. The minister's response came after the Congress MP put out a letter on Twitter regarding draft EIA notification and suggested that it may be kept in "abeyance" until the standing committee completes its deliberations.