Opposing PM, Sonia backs environment

New Delhi, Sep 9: Controversy has been raised in Congress when party president, Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh gave opposite statement on environment versus progress issue.

Giving more importance to environment, Sonia on Thursday, Sep 9 said, "We must protect environment to ensure sustainable development. In whatever we do, we should not forget forest and environment."

However, on Sep 7, emphasizing on country's progress as prime concern, PM said, "We cannot solve problems by perpetuating poverty in the name of environment."

He continued, "If mineral wealth of the country cannot be exploited, growth of the economy will be affected. We need a balance between environmental concerns and poverty eradication."

On the other side, Rahul Gandhi also battled for the rights of the tribal in Vedanta region, which too contradicted Singh's opinion.

OneIndia News