Modi govt has 'doomed forests', says Jairam Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh. File Pic

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday took a swipe at the Centre after the Odisha government reportedly withdrew its controversial "deemed forest" order, saying that in its hurry to do away with 'deemed' forests, the Modi government has actually "doomed forests".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which said that the Odisha government has withdrawn a controversial order issued on August 11, which told district officials that 'deemed forests' as a category would cease to exist under the recently amended Forest Act.

"After Parliament passed the dangerous amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 last week, which many, including me, had warned against, the Odisha government was quick to pass orders that 'deemed' forests would no longer be considered as forests," Jairam Ramesh said.

"Now the Union Ministry says the state's order is withdrawn. Confusion galore. In its hurry to do away with 'deemed' forests, the Modi government has actually doomed forests," he said in his post on X.

'Deemed forests' are forests that are not classified so, by the Centre or states, in their records.

On Wednesday, hitting out at the Centre over the official renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in the national capital, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi can never take away the gigantic contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru in the country's freedom struggle.

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) was officially renamed the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) by the Centre on Monday.

Taking to his official handle on X, formerly Twitter, Ramesh posted on Wednesday, "From today, an iconic institution gets a new name. The world-renowned Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) becomes PMML Prime Ministers Memorial Museum and Library. Mr Modi possesses a huge bundle of fears, complexes and insecurities, especially when it comes to our first and longest-serving Prime Minister. He has had a single-point agenda of denying, distorting, defaming and destroying Nehru and the Nehruvian legacy."

"He has erased N and put P instead. That P is really for pettiness and peeve. But he can never take away Nehru's gigantic contributions to the freedom movement and his towering achievements in building the democratic, secular, scientific and liberal foundations of the Indian nation-state, all of which are now under assault by Mr Modi and his drumbeaters," the Congress leader added.

Ramesh said further the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru will continue to inspire future generations.

"Despite the relentless assault, Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy will live on for the world to see and he will continue to inspire generations to come," he said.

(With inputs from ANI)