Bangalore: Expressing concern over Union Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh’s “radical shift” in position on climate change, Congress leader and former Minister B.K. Chandrashekar has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a clarification.
In a letter dated October 21, Prof. Chandrashekar says that Mr. Ramesh’s “sudden” change in position and “his suggestion that India was willing to reconsider… [a] relaxation of our commitment to the Kyoto Protocol so that the United States can come on board at the Copenhagen convention… implies abandoning G-77 allies in favour of G-20 group of industrialised countries.”
He added: “We do hope that India’s position will not be altered, while at the same time India would engage in a constructive and pro-active manner in the ongoing negotiations based on equity.” On Tuesday, Mr. Ramesh reportedly “retracted” his new stance after it triggered a controversy, and reiterated India’s traditional position.
According to Prof. Chandrashekar, Karnataka’s scientists and academics, including those from the Indian Institute of Science, Institute for Social and Economic Change, University of Agricultural Sciences and IIM, as well as NGOs, farmers believe that India “will not agree to the demand of western nations to a low-carbon future at the cost of improving the standard of living of the poor in our country”.
