New Delhi, June 6 -- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday called on citizens to demand that the Centre scrap the Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project, describing it as "one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes" against India's natural and tribal heritage. Launching an online petition on World Environment Day, Gandhi urged people to oppose the project while backing the expansion of INS Baaz, the strategically important naval base on Great Nicobar Island. "The forest hasn't fallen yet. Add your name and force the government to protect Great Nicobar Island. Expand the INS Baaz Naval base since it's been demanding it for five years - but don't destroy a rainforest that can never be rebuilt," he said in the petition. The Great Nicobar Holistic Development project requires an area of 166.10 sq.km. Of this, forest area is about 130.75 sq.km and tribal land is 84.10 sq.km. The project cost is estimated at Rs.81,800 crore. Pointing to the scale of the proposed development, Gandhi said large stretches of dense rainforest would be cleared. "The government argues that the Great Nicobar Project is key for security and strategic development - how do hotels, casinos and tourist attractions fortify India's national security?" Reacting to Gandhi's remarks, BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said the vision for the Great Nicobar project dates back to the 1970s and accused the Congress of failing to implement such "futuristic" projects despite having conceived them decades ago....