A political battle over air pollution between the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP has taken a fresh turn, with an AQI-monitoring exercise by AAP leader Jarnail Singh triggering a video controversy.
“Yesterday, from Delhi to Mohali, I personally showed the pollution levels of Delhi, Murthal, Kurukshetra and Mohali. Singh, however, hit back, arguing that the BJP was deliberately shifting the debate from pollution to a technical discrepancy. Issuing an open challenge to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and BJP leaders, Singh invited them to accompany him from Delhi to Mohali and personally verify the readings at different locations. The figures are in front of everyone. He also challenged the Delhi Chief Minister, the Environment Minister and other BJP leaders to undertake the same journey and check the readings themselves. “Stop making excuses and fulfil your responsibility. People in Delhi need clean air, not political statements.
In a strongly worded message, he said if the BJP had found a mistake, it should acknowledge it and correct it instead of avoiding questions about Delhi’s air quality. Mohali’s AQI was considerably lower than Delhi’s,” he said. Hiding pollution will not reduce it,” he said.
His exercise was also aimed at defending the AAP government in Punjab, which has been facing questions from the BJP over stubble-burning incidents and their alleged contribution to pollution in the national capital. The BJP has repeatedly questioned the Punjab government’s claims of a decline in farm fires, arguing that agricultural residue burning continues to contribute to pollution in the national capital.
