Terming Government’s decision to announce unilateral cuts in carbon emissions as a “bad” negotiation strategy, BJP today accused it of succumbing to the pressure of developed countries.
“BJP has serious reservations against the unilateral cuts in emissions announced by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh during the Lok Sabha debate on climate change yesterday.
“It is bad strategy on the eve of Copenhagen summit to announce unilateral stance without waiting for the approach of the developed countries,” Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters here.
To a question on the reason behind the decision to unilaterally announce the cuts, Jaitley simply said the government succumbed to the pressure from developed countries. “It could be pressure from the United States and China. I am not very sure,” he added.
When asked if the stand adopted by Ramesh was that of the Government, Jaitley merely said the Environment Minister had remarked in Lok Sabha yesterday that his stand on the issue was that of the Prime Minister and if he (Ramesh) deviates, he would lose his job.
The BJP leader also found it “curious” the insistence of the developed countries that the PM should attend the Copenhagen meet.
Jaitley also slammed Ramesh for "rubbishing" India's earlier approach as “do nothing approach”. “The argument that our earlier approach was 'that we are not responsible for climate change and we have a right to emit as much as developed countries have done' makes a mockery of the programmes undertaken by successive governments in the past with regard to environment protection,” he said.
The BJP leader referred to the inputs from the Planning Commission and "other sources" considered by the Environment Minister before formulating the country's changed position and wondered whether he was willing to share the data with the common man.
“Is he merely referring to reports prepared by international consultants who have an inherent interest in the economies of the developed countries?” he said.
The BJP also accused the minister of being “carried away by the bandwagon effect of some nations announcing unilateral cuts.”
