New Delhi:
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's latest comments in Beijing are certainly not his first case of foot-in-mouth. Ramesh has quite a few recent public gaffes to his credit. Too often, candid becomes controversial:
THE COPENHAGEN GOOFUP
Jairam Ramesh got flak from the Prime Minister for saying India would match China in emission cuts. He later retracted and said India would not accept any legally binding emission cut targets. (Read: PM pulls up Ramesh for his comments on Home Ministry)
'FILTH' REMARK
"Our cities are the dirtiest cities of the world. If there is a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India will win it, no doubt," the Environment Minister said in November last year at a function to release a report. The minister was referring to poor facilities for disposal of municipal waste and though he might not have been terribly off the mark, the comment did not go down too well.
BARBARIC GOWN
This year, Jairam termed wearing of gowns at convocations as a "barbaric colonial practice" and publicly shrugged off the gown he was wearing at one such function.
OVERRULED BY CENTRE
The government has given a go-ahead for partial work to resume on the Maheshwar dam despite an Environment Ministry ban. Jairam had said displaced people were not rehabilitated properly.
And why only Jairam Ramesh? The Beijing episode is only the latest in a string of embarrassments for the Manmohan Singh government.
Recently, Jairam openly aired his differences with Road Transport Minister Kamal Nath during a cabinet meet. Kamal Nath accused the environment minister of blocking projects because environment clearance hadn't been taken.
Shashi Tharoor took a stand against quitting during the IPL controversy without consulting the Congress or UPA managers. He was eventually forced to quit to avoid further embarrassment.
THE COPENHAGEN GOOFUP
Jairam Ramesh got flak from the Prime Minister for saying India would match China in emission cuts. He later retracted and said India would not accept any legally binding emission cut targets. (Read: PM pulls up Ramesh for his comments on Home Ministry)
'FILTH' REMARK
"Our cities are the dirtiest cities of the world. If there is a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India will win it, no doubt," the Environment Minister said in November last year at a function to release a report. The minister was referring to poor facilities for disposal of municipal waste and though he might not have been terribly off the mark, the comment did not go down too well.
BARBARIC GOWN
This year, Jairam termed wearing of gowns at convocations as a "barbaric colonial practice" and publicly shrugged off the gown he was wearing at one such function.
OVERRULED BY CENTRE
The government has given a go-ahead for partial work to resume on the Maheshwar dam despite an Environment Ministry ban. Jairam had said displaced people were not rehabilitated properly.
And why only Jairam Ramesh? The Beijing episode is only the latest in a string of embarrassments for the Manmohan Singh government.
Recently, Jairam openly aired his differences with Road Transport Minister Kamal Nath during a cabinet meet. Kamal Nath accused the environment minister of blocking projects because environment clearance hadn't been taken.
Shashi Tharoor took a stand against quitting during the IPL controversy without consulting the Congress or UPA managers. He was eventually forced to quit to avoid further embarrassment.
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