Modi faces heat over post on climate change, sapling triggers online storm over Adani deforestation
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s symbolic gesture of planting a Kadamb sapling at his official residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, has triggered a storm of criticism on social media. The sapling, gifted by King Charles III, was planted on September 19 as part of Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, which encourages tree plantation in tribute to mothers and has reportedly inspired more than 100 million plantings since 2021.
Sharing the moment on X (formerly Twitter), Modi praised King Charles’ passion for sustainability and the environment, saying it had also been a recurring theme in their conversations. But the online reaction was far from celebratory.
Netizens accused the Prime Minister of hypocrisy, contrasting the act of planting a single tree with large-scale deforestation linked to industrial projects sanctioned under his government, many allegedly benefiting the Adani Group. Critics pointed to reports of forest clearance in Hasdeo Arand, Chhattisgarh, where around 1,898 hectares were approved for coal mining, and claims of industrial expansion in Bhagalpur that could see the felling of nearly one million trees.
The hashtag-laden trolling was led by sarcastic comments such as, “Ek ped maa ke naam, das laakh ped Adani ke naam,” mocking Modi’s campaign as a token gesture compared to the scale of destruction for industry. Memes and edited images showing Modi with Gautam Adani flooded timelines, reinforcing perceptions of political-industrial favoritism.
Some users posted before-and-after photos of the Hasdeo forest, showing green cover turning into barren land after mining, calling it a grim reminder of what they described as “environmental betrayal.” A young climate activist’s viral image holding a placard reading, “STOP ADANI! SAVE HASDEO FOREST & OUR FUTURE,” further amplified the narrative.
X user @MadhurYadav214 summed up the sentiment with irony: “Watering a few trees and then handing them over to Adani to cut down crores of trees is true patriotism.” Others like @Alpakanya dismissed the plantation as a “Pardon Turkey tamasha,” while @Sunilkumarw2 argued that Modi’s “environmental passion” was not reflected in real policy.
Allegations of hypocrisy were also tied to specific figures. One widely shared post claimed: “1,050 acres, 1 million trees in Bhagalpur, 33 years lease for Adani’s power plant,” questioning, “Modi ji, how much will you fool the country?” Another comment bluntly stated: “A 75-year-old man gives his owner a contract to cut down millions of trees in exchange for planting one tree. What a hypocrisy.”
Modi ji, how much will you fool the country? pic.twitter.com/Lbm69qalTi
— काव्या INDIA (@bindass_ladki) September 19, 2025
The 75-year-old man gives his owner a contract to cut down millions of trees in exchange for planting one tree.
— राज किरण विश्वकर्मा (@vishwakarma9RAJ) September 19, 2025
What a hypocrisy.. pic.twitter.com/1ToU7vN0A9
Sir, your passion is seen not in your posts but in your actions.
— Mr Sharma (@sharma_views) September 19, 2025
Hasdeo jungle itself is crying at this irony. pic.twitter.com/73ogMJ2VoJ
मोदी सा बेशर्म मानवता में कोई ना हुआ होगा
— MiddleClass Hindu (@hindu_in_middle) September 19, 2025
एक तरफ़ पूरे जंगल कटवा दो एयर फिर पार्डन टर्की तमाशा करो pic.twitter.com/SkhrpDvMvm
You'll sacrifice Bhagalpur's 1 million trees to establish new industries. Just imagine, how could an area have been chosen for this purpose where nothing would migrate—plants, animals, or even ordinary people... 😏 pic.twitter.com/U9Eat4A7au
— MadhurYadav (@MadhurYadav214) September 19, 2025
What about Hasdeo?
— Amit Agrawal🇮🇳 (@CoffeeWithKarma) September 19, 2025
While you’ve sold Hasdeo and now Bihar to your friends who has felled lakhs of trees over a period of time. Greed for money and power. 👇 pic.twitter.com/7Ug0ZaqiJT
— Priyamwada (@PriaINC) September 19, 2025
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
