New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today mocked PM Modi for not being able to spot a single tiger during his recent visit to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
PM Modi visited the Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Sunday to celebrate the golden jubilee of Project Tiger.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and BJP shared multiple pictures of the Prime Minister and the animals he encountered during his 22 km safari ride, but none of them featured the tiger. According to some media outlets, the Prime Minister did not spot any tigers during the ride.
Retweeting one such media report, Jairam Ramesh mocked the PM.
"It now turns out that Shikari Shambu never got to see a tiger at Bandipur. He was angry. SPG blaming forest staff who in turn are blaming security. In all this Bhupender Yadav is getting away lightly. Sack him I would say," he tweeted.
A New Indian Express report stated that the responsibility for the lack of tiger sightings during the Prime Minister's safari almost entirely falls on the members of the Special Protection Group (SPG), the local police, the anti-Naxal force, and other teams that went on multiple safaris along the same route for five days prior to the Prime Minister's visit.
A senior Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) official told The New Indian Express that the teams that were doing rounds on that route for “security purposes” were able to spot tigers on all five days prior to PM’s trip.
“They were eating, sleeping and camping on the identified route. Citing security, they also wanted PM’s safari vehicle to be in the middle of the convoy. We had to plead with them that sightings would be the best from the lead vehicle. To check this, the security teams went on additional safari rounds. After they saw tigers and leopards and even photographed them, they were convinced that Modi should be in the lead vehicle,” the official told The New Indian Express.
“Some good sense must have prevailed and the last drill (on Saturday night) did not happen. This is why Modi was able to at least see a herd of around 40 elephants, 20-30 Gaurs, around 30 sambar deer, and other wildlife… but missed a tiger by a whisker — which was the main reason for the safari,” the official added.