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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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
