Delhi’s worsening air pollution has triggered a fresh political confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP, with the ruling party in Punjab accusing BJP leaders of unfairly targeting farmers and shifting the blame for the national capital’s deteriorating air quality onto Punjab.
He questioned the statements made by Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and accused the BJP of creating a political narrative around stubble burning instead of addressing pollution within Delhi. Pannu argued that Delhi’s air pollution was a complex issue and could not be attributed solely to stubble burning in Punjab. Because of the government’s efforts and growing awareness among farmers, pannu also referred to an improvement in stubble management, claiming that incidents of farm fires had declined significantly.
He claimed that more than 21,000 machines had been purchased this season to help farmers manage paddy straw. Citing figures, he said Punjab had recorded around 71,000 stubble-burning incidents in 2021. The number declined to 49,922 in 2022, marking a 29 per cent reduction, and further dropped to 36,663 in 2023.
Referring to earlier pollution assessments, he said several factors contributed to deteriorating air quality, and it was unfair to make Punjab farmers the sole target. Defending the Bhagwant Mann government’s efforts, Pannu said Punjab had taken several measures to discourage stubble burning and promote scientific management of crop residue. He said farmers were increasingly becoming aware of the harmful consequences of burning crop residue and were managing it either through their own resources or with the assistance of machinery.
Punjab recorded 10,906 incidents in 2024 and just 5,114 in 2025, representing an overall decline of nearly 93 per cent compared with 2021, according to the figures cited by him.
“Before making statements, BJP leaders should educate themselves and refer to the available data,” he said.
