BJP hails Sabang Port project with Indonesia, slams Congress for strategic neglect

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) The BJP on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia as a "major strategic breakthrough" after the two countries agreed to jointly develop the strategically located Sabang Port. The party also accused previous Congress governments of failing to leverage India's geographical advantage in the Indo-Pacific. India and Indonesia on Tuesday agreed to jointly develop the strategically located Sabang Port, which overlooks the Strait of Malacca and is about 160 kilometres away from India's Great Nicobar Port project. Reacting to the development, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said the agreement, along with the Great Nicobar Transshipment Port project, will significantly strengthen India's strategic footprint in the Indo-Pacific. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia has delivered a major strategic breakthrough. India and Indonesia will jointly develop Sabang Port in Aceh, near the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest and most consequential maritime chokepoints," Malviya said in a post on X. "Together with the Great Nicobar Transshipment Port, this will significantly strengthen India's strategic footprint in the Indo-Pacific and create powerful operational synergies across the region," he said. The BJP leader said the Strait of Malacca carries nearly one-third of global trade and serves as the principal maritime artery for East Asia, including the overwhelming majority of China's energy imports and commercial shipping. "A credible presence around this sea lane translates into enormous geopolitical and economic leverage," he said. Targeting the Congress, Malviya alleged that despite India's "unmatched geographical advantage" through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, successive Congress governments failed to capitalise on the strategic opportunity. "Instead of investing in world-class maritime infrastructure, strengthening India's position around the Malacca Strait and leveraging geography into national power, decades were lost to strategic indecision and neglect," he alleged. Malviya claimed that under Modi, India is charting a different course now by converting its geographical advantage into strategic power. "From the Great Nicobar mega transshipment project and the strengthening of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, to SAGAR and now the joint development of Sabang Port with Indonesia, Prime Minister Modi has transformed India's maritime outlook from passive observation to proactive leadership," he said. "For too long, India's greatest strategic advantage lay underutilised. Today, it is being converted into a decisive geopolitical asset," Malviya added. "Geography gave India an advantage. Prime Minister Modi is turning it into strategic power," Malviya concluded. PTI ADI PRK