Maharashtra Environment Minister Pankaja Munde drew a parallel between the sacrifice of soldiers on the border and the felling of trees, including mangroves, for development, drawing sharp reactions on social media.
Activist Anjali Damania posted the viral clip on social networking site X on Saturday, saying she regretted the minister’s “intelligence” over the comparison.
Defending the reasons for cutting trees for development during an interaction at the Mumbai Climate Week, Munde said, “The way a mother brings up her son and then has the audacity or guts to send him to the border to fight for the country, similarly, if we grow trees, we may have to cut them but we can plant them somewhere else.
“You can’t say no to progress because we have to protect trees. If we have to cut down five trees for progress, we can grow 10 more trees. That’s the only way,” she added.
Munde said trees, like soldiers, protect people while they are alive and even when they are removed, they contribute to development.
“Think of those trees as soldiers. As long as they live, they protect us and if they are taken down, they are still working for development,” the BJP leader added.
The remarks come amid ongoing debates over mangrove cutting and urban infrastructure projects in Mumbai.
“While people are comfortably discussing climate issues, soldiers are standing in the snow and deserts risking their lives for the country. We are sitting here in a five-star hotel talking about Mumbai Climate Week, having tea, coffee and biscuits, but someone is standing in the snow and desert playing with their lives for us.”
“They sacrifice themselves, so how do we thank them for that? That’s how I treat those trees. These are my personal opinions,” the minister added.
