As the protests surrounding the Hasdeo forests rage, leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chhattisgarh's Congress chief Deepak Baij joined the protests being held by tribals against the cutting of trees. Taking a dig at CM Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, he has accused the BJP's usage of using Sai’s tribal identity to garb the government helping Adani Enterprises, which owns the Parsa East and Kente Basan (PEKB) coal fields spread over the forest land. The tribal-dominated Hasdeo Aranya forest in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district has resurfaced as an integral issue leading up the Lok Sabha elections.