Jaitley asks PM to prevent Jairam from deviation

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to prevent "deviation" by environment minister Jairam Ramesh from India's stated position at the UN Climate Summit at Cancun. HT reports.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to prevent "deviation" by environment minister Jairam Ramesh from India's stated position at the UN Climate Summit at Cancun.

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Flaying Ramesh's remark that India would permit international scrutiny of its domestic climate actions, Jaitley said "the minister has committed India to a position of being prepared to engage in a system of monitoring, review, verifications/international consultations and analysis (MRV/ICA) of domestic climate actions."

"This was never India's position," Jaitley said on Friday.

He alleged that "slowly but surely" Ramesh has committed India to international verification of unsupported domestic actions, which is a "deviation" from the government stand in Parliament earlier on the issue.

Jaitley said "This position is contrary to the mandate of the G-77 alliance which India has forged over the years with like-minded countries. It is contrary to the elementary principles of equity where the developed countries pollute and India pays for environmental correction."

Ramesh had stated that India was prepared to engage in a system of MRV/ICA of domestic climate actions, but with some conditions including respect for national sovereignty.

Jaitley said Ramesh had promised in Parliament on December 7, 2009 that India would not accept the same level of international scrutiny for unsupported mitigation actions.

"We urge the Prime Minister to personally intervene and prevent the environment Minister from deviating our national position in favour of the developed countries," Jaitley said.