Vardhan hit out at Rahul over tigress killing

Earlier on Monday following uproar over the killing of tigress Avni in Maharashtra's Yavatmala district on Friday, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi #Avni."

Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over killing over tigress Avni, saying his government does not require a certificate from Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier on Monday following uproar over the killing of tigress Avni in Maharashtra's Yavatmala district on Friday, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi #Avni."

Reacting to this on the sidelines of a function here, Vardhan said, "I think no previous government had worked with such honesty and seriosuness that this government does."

He said that his government does not need a certificate from Rahul Gandhi.

Tigress Avni, which reportedly killed 13 people, was shot dead on Friday as a part of an operation for which Maharashtra minister called a professional hunter.

Earlier on Sunday, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi lashed out at the BJP-led Maharashtra government, calling the killing as a "ghastly murder" and a "straight case of crime".

"It is nothing but a straight case of crime. Despite several requests from many stakeholders, (Sudhir) Mungantiwar, Minister for Forests, Maharashtra, gave orders for the killing," she said in a series of tweets.