NEW DELHI: Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming credit for reintroduction of cheetahs in India, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that the Project Cheetah was launched in 2009. The Congress leader tweeted a letter, which he had written to MK Ranjitsinh of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in 2009 as the minister for Environment and Forests (MoE&F) conveying his approval for preparation of a roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah and include a detailed analysis of different potential sites.
Ramesh also called Modi a ‘pathological liar’ in reply to his allegations that ‘no constructive efforts’ were made by the previous governments to the reintroduction of big cats in India since its extinction in 1952.
“This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009.
Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldn’t lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Ramesh tweeted. Modi had made the remarks after releasing three of the eight cheetahs flown in from Namibia into special enclosures in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
On Saturday, Ramesh also shared a clipping of new articles he had written on reintroduction of cheetah.
“Even by his own standards, the Jagatguru of Jhooth has hit a new low today. His claim that for decades nothing was done for cheetahs is a blatant lie! In this article, I have documented the efforts over the years,” his tweet read.
“I have received your letter dated September 28 and October 6, 2009. Please go ahead and prepare a detailed roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah,” reads Ramesh’s letter to Ranjitsinh.