Prakash Javadekar slams Kerry’s ‘India a challenge’ remark

India on Sunday hit out at US secretary of state John Kerry for his remarks that India will be a “challenge” at the upcoming crucial Paris climate meet, saying they were “unwarranted” and made it clear that it is “not in the habit of taking any pressure from anybody”.

Terming Mr Kerry’s comments as “unwarranted and unfair”, India also blamed the “attitude” of some of the developed countries for the problem of climate change.

Hinting that there was no question of either compromising or making adjustments on any of the issues which the country has taken up, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said that it has always been on the side of consensus and is trying to “proactively” bring consensus among nations.

“It is in a way unfair to say that India will be a challenge. It is actually not doing justice with India. The US is our great friend and strategic partner. His (Kerry’s) comment are unwarranted and unfair. The attitude of some of the developed countries is the challenge for the Paris conclusion,” he said.

Mr Kerry in an interview with a leading international business daily had recently warned that India could be a “challenge” at the upcoming climate change talks in Paris, with its government reluctant to accept more of a role in addressing global warming.

“We’ve got a lot of focus on India right now to try to bring them along. India has been more cautious, a little more restrained in its embrace of this new paradigm, and it’s a challenge,” he was quoted as saying. Mr Javadekar said while “there is no pressure from the developed world on India, the country is also not in the habit of taking any pressure from anybody.”

The conference scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 11 aims to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.