19 Districts, One Battle: Congress Escalates Protest Against New Aravalli Rules.

Political Firestorm Over Aravalli Definition as Congress Alleges Mining Mafia Push.

The launch of the Congress party’s statewide “Aravalli Bachao” campaign in Rajasthan in late December 2025 has triggered a high-stakes political and environmental showdown, turning the ancient Aravalli range into a flashpoint between ecological survival and governance policy. At the heart of the confrontation is the Supreme Court–cleared “100-metre rule”, which Congress claims will effectively de-notify nearly the entire Aravalli ecosystem by redefining what qualifies as a protected hill. 

Citing Forest Survey of India data, the party warns that more than one lakh hillocks—critical for groundwater recharge, desert control, and air purification—stand to lose legal cover, potentially exposing tens of thousands of acres to mining and real estate activity. Congress leaders argue that this move threatens to accelerate desertification toward Delhi, deepen water scarcity in Jaipur and Gurugram, and dismantle the NCR’s last natural pollution barrier, while alleging a deepening nexus between the BJP government and mining interests.

The agitation has rapidly escalated from courtrooms to streets, with mass protests across 19 districts, a youth-led march in Jaipur fronted by Sachin Pilot, and a coordinated digital campaign led by former CM Ashok Gehlot, signalling that the issue is no longer just environmental but politically combustible. The Centre and Rajasthan BJP, however, have pushed back sharply, branding the campaign as fear-mongering and insisting that over 90% of the Aravalli area remains protected, that only 0.19% could ever be eligible for mining, and that a complete freeze on new leases is in place until a scientific sustainable mining plan is finalised.

With both sides locked in a battle of data, definitions and intent, the Aravalli debate has emerged as a defining conflict of 2025—one that could reshape environmental jurisprudence, electoral narratives, and the future of one of India’s oldest and most fragile mountain systems.