Taking a dig at Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar for crediting the Centre for the rise in rhino populace in Assam, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today credited conservation efforts of the state government for the rise.
If the central government is so eager to claim the credit, it should also own up the "discredit" for its "failure" in checking the dwindling population of Asiatic lions in Gujarat's Gir forest, Gogoi said.
"Rise in deaths of Asiatic lions, which are found only in Gujarat, has posed a threat to its very existence which are found only in Gujarat," he said in a statement here.
Gogoi's comments were significant in the backdrop of Gujarat considered as the favourite state of the saffron party.
The Assam Chief Minister advocated for exhaustive conservation effort in Gujarat on the lines of such effort in Kaziranga National Park in Assam claiming his government has succeeded in increasing the number of rhino population despite several hurdles.
According to reports, in Gujarat 76 lion deaths occurred in 2013, 78 in 2014, while the number went upto to 91 in 2015.
In the last five years over 300 lion deaths have been reported in Gujarat.
