In the wake of prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Copenhagen to attend the Climate Change Summit, BJP today said he was doing so under pressure from the developed countries and posed several questions on the unilateral emission cuts announced by India.
"The prime minister has now decided to go to Copenhagen which was earlier not a part of his schedule. It was the developed countries which, in the two weeks, have insisted on the PM's visit to Copenhagen," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told PTI.
The BJP leader said Singh will be missing a month-long Parliament session "thrice" because of his foreign visits including the sudden programme to go to Copenhagen. The prime minister had visited the US and Port of Spain in the last week of November and is currently on a visit to Russia.
Jaitley questioned the unilateral decision by India of a 25% cut in emission intensity by 2020, saying the developed world had not done enough but expected us to take these measures.
"A 25% unilateral reduction in emission intensity during 2005 and 2020 involves huge costs. What have the developed countries done in reciprocation. Obviously, every Indian - including our negotiators - are unhappy but the US president is pleased because India has come on board," he said. Jaitley said the government should clarify who will bear the cost of these unilateral emission intensity cuts. He also questioned the government on the issue of per capita principle on climate change.
"Has the government of India abandoned the per capita principle which implies that every Indian has as much share in the carbon space as an American does?" he asked.
Emphasising that BJP also wanted good relations with the US, he said this could not be one-sided.
"While we all support close ties between India and the US, it cannot be a one-sided relationship where we succumb to all pressures," Jaitley said.
Expressing concern at the steps announced by environment minister Jairam Ramesh ahead of the Copenhagen summit, the BJP leader said, "the nation is getting increasingly convinced that the government is not following an independent policy on climate change."
"There is not only a complete reversal of India's position but the government of India is also rubbishing the position of all earlier governments, including the position taken for five years by UPA-I," Jaitley said.
