By IANS,
Hyderabad : Environmental group Greenpeace India Tuesday described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address at the global biodiversity conference here as “hypocrisy” and “failure”.
Commenting on the speech, Vinuta Gopal, head of climate and energy campaign, Greenpeace India said he failed to express how he will show the leadership on the world stage that will deliver the vital global objectives.
In a statement issued here, the NGO said the prime minister displayed hypocrisy and also claimed that $50 million which the PM announced for biodiversity conservation was a mere 0.1 percent of the coal scam figure.
“While he was lavish in his praise of forest dwellers and the role they play in managing and defending the forests and biodiversity, he made no mention of the fact that his mass coal expansion policies will leave tens of thousands of forest dwellers without homes and livelihoods,” Gopal said.
Greenpeace also pointed out that with 54 coal blocks being lined up for auction, it will lead to state sponsored corporate plunder of the forests.
In another statement, Greenpeace said its activists, who wanted to meet the prime minister, were stopped at the entrance of conference hall. The activists wanted to submit a petition to him to save forests from destruction.