PM visiting Copenhagen under pressure from developed countries: BJP

In the wake of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposed 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 said.

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 per cent 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.