New Delhi, Dec 4 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had changed the baseline of India’s negotiations position ahead of the Copenhagen conference by unilaterally announcing reduction in its carbon emission intensity.
“It’s a bad negotiating strategy to announce unilateral concession on the eve of the conference,” senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said here articulating the party’s stand on the minister’s reply to the climate change debate in the Lok Sabha Thursday.

Jaitley said the minister had been carried away by the “bandwagon effect”, particularly after China made an announcement, and had overlooked the fact that India’s emissions per capita are much lower than developed countries and five times less than China. Ramesh announced that India would reduce its carbon intensity by 20-25 percent till 2020 as compared to 2005.

“Ramesh has altered the baseline of India’s negotiation position. It’s a flawed negotiating strategy. Instead of arguing from a position of strength, he has made unilateral concessions, which then become the starting point,” the BJP leader said, adding that there was “no occasion for grandstanding” on the eve of the Copenhagen conference.

Calling upon the United Progressive Alliance government to review its stand, Jaitley said the minister had ignored the basic per capita principle of India’s position. “The prime minister should make a statement,” he said.

He accused Ramesh of coming under pressure from developed countries. “I think he has come under pressure of developed countries,” he said.

Jaitley also wondered at the enthusiasm of developed countries to have Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Copenhagen. “I am curious over the enthusiasm of developed countries that the prime minister should come there.”

Referring to Ramesh’s remarks about low emissions as an accident of history and India’s inability to control its population, Jaitley said the minister’s reply directly rubbishes India’s past position and endorses that of the developed world.

“The moment you make an announcement without waiting for the developed world, you ignore the per capita principle which is inbuilt in India’s stand,” he said

He also took a dig at the minister’s demand for flexibility in negotiations. “He wants flexibility even for unsupported domestic action.”

Jaitley said India had reduced its emission intensity by the so-called “do nothing approach” by 17.6 percent between 1990 and 2005. “Where did inputs come to change this stand?” he asked and said the minister should clarify the source of his inputs.

“Does it include multi-national consultancies which have their own interest? Who will bear the cost of this altered position?”

The BJP leader said that the minister had been wavering in his position for the last few months and India’s negotiators had conveyed their protest in writing to the government.

Answering queries, Jaitley said that fear of isolation in climate-change talks was an “imaginary fear.”