Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) The Congress Friday dismissed speculation over differences between party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on issues of environment protection and development.
“The prime minister said there should be a balance between environment and development. What the prime minister has said, Congress president has said the same thing,” Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said here while replying to questions.

The prime minister said during his interaction with editors earlier this week that environmental concerns have come to stay and these should be balanced with developmental needs.

“Environmental concerns have come to stay. Our industry must recognise that. At the same time we cannot solve environmental problems by perpetuating poverty,” Singh said.

Dedicating the stage II of National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Dadri power project to the nation, Gandhi said more power was needed to meet the growing demands from farmers, factories and people but environment concerns should be kept in mind to ensure sustainable development.

“In whatever we do, we must not forget that our lush forests and mountains, majestic rivers and all other water sources, and clean air have sustained and nurtured us for millennia. We have a responsibility to preserve them for the coming generations,” she said.

Answering another query about the prime minister’s remarks about differences of views of senior members of the cabinet of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Ahmed said: “All Congress governments had done good work in their time.”

“Today, the Manmohan Singh government is doing well under directions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The prime minister did not mean that he was competing (with the previous governments),” he said, adding that the prime minister’s remarks should be seen in totality.