Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of hypocrisy and alleged that while he has weakened all environmental and forest laws in India, he is posing as an eco-champion on the world stage.
Ramesh, a former environment minister himself, said this as the prime minister is set to launch the "LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment)" initiative on World Environment Day.
"Today is World Environment Day, celebrated since 1973. Vishguru is launching LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). This is maximum hypocrisy, since he's weakening all environmental and forest laws, regulations and institutions at home, while posing to be an eco-champion on world stage!" the former Union minister wrote on Twitter.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also hit out at the prime minister, saying "his understanding of climate change came out clearly when he loudly proclaimed, 'There is no climate change but only 'our tolerance and habits' have changed".
In a tweet on Saturday, Modi said, "Tomorrow, 5th June is marked as #WorldEnvironmentDay. At 6 PM, the LiFE global movement will be launched. This movement seeks to encourage practices that further sustainable living and environmentally friendly development."
Earlier, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted on World Environment Day, saying, "We have #OnlyOneEarth. Today and everyday, celebrate, protect and help restore our planet."
AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "This year's terrifyingly hot winds are an example of how climate change is affecting our lives. Farmers, fishermen suffered due to these hot winds and life was badly affected."
"Therefore, we have to understand our responsibility towards nature as a priority," she said in a tweet in Hindi.