Jairam Ramesh mocks PM Modi's tortoise moment, cites UPA's 2008 stamp

Congress' Jairam Ramesh mocked PM Modi's interaction with an Aldabra Giant Tortoise in Seychelles. He pointed out that the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government had already issued a postage stamp on the species in 2008.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for feeding the 194-year-old Aldabra Giant Tortoise during his visit to Seychelles, claiming that the Congress-led UPA government had already issued a postage stamp on the species in 2008.

In a post on X, Ramesh mocked the Prime Minister. "Long before the self-declared but brutally exposed Vishwaguru discovered the Aldabra Giant Tortoise yesterday, Dr. Manmohan Singh's government had issued a postage stamp on August 2, 2008," Ramesh wrote on X. Long before the self-declared but brutally exposed Vishwaguru discovered the Aldabra Giant Tortoise yesterday, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government had issued a postage stamp on August 2, 2008. pic.twitter.com/il9ISOP2xe — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 28, 2026

Details of PM Modi's Seychelles Visit

The Congress leader's remarks came a day after PM Modi and Seychelles President Patrick Herminie toured the National Botanical Garden in Victoria during the Prime Minister's three-day State Visit to the island nation. During the visit, PM Modi was seen feeding the giant tortoise, the famed 194-year-old Jonathan, regarded as the world's oldest living land animal.

The two leaders also planted a commemorative sapling and interacted with officials at the botanical garden, who briefed them on the sanctuary's unique biodiversity. "The Aldabra Giant Tortoise also have an association with the special friendship between India and Seychelles. In 2014, two of them were gifted to the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata. A few years later, Seychelles gifted a few more tortoises to Hyderabad Zoo, " PM Modi said in a post on X. Visited the Giant Tortoise Enclosure at the Seychelles National Botanical Garden with President Dr. Patrick Herminie. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise, which is native to Seychelles, is among the largest and longest-living species on Earth, with some of them witnessing over two… pic.twitter.com/995s3bfawf — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 27, 2026

PM Modi arrived in Seychelles on Saturday on a three-day State Visit and will be the Guest of Honour at the country's Golden Jubilee National Day celebrations, marking 50 years of Seychelles' independence from the United Kingdom in 1976. (ANI)

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