Sonia Gandhi is passionate about Environment: Ramesh

New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) Environment Minister JairamRamesh, who has been facing criticism from his colleagues forhis approach on green issues, today said Congress PresidentSonia Gandhi is "passionate" about environment.

"Mrs Gandhi is... the party supremo... She ispassionate... she is concerned about environmental issues,"Ramesh said while reacting to a foreign correspondent whoasked about Gandhi''s view on environment.

"She is worried about forests... she is worried aboutenvironmental issues," Ramesh said.

Observing that the political interest of theenvironmental issues "actually goes back to late IndiraGandhi," Ramesh said, "It was under her leadership, many ofthese laws came into being for the first time."

"I think, there has been a steady progression... andcertainly Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from my limitedencounters I have with them on these issue, I now feel verystrongly that we need high economic growth but not at thecoast of environmental protection."

He said Sonia Gandhi had said it publicly.

"In her recent speeches she had articulated this pointof view that while we can not compromise in the name of higheconomic growth, we cannot compromise on our environmentalprotection objectives. We have to work on both ways," theMinister said.