Punjab’s stubble-burning controversy has once again triggered a political war of words, with Cabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal accusing the Delhi government of repeatedly blaming Punjab for the national capital’s pollution while ignoring its own sources of emissions.
Reacting to the allegations linking Punjab’s stubble burning to Delhi’s worsening air quality, AAP’s Barinder Kumar Goyal said that blaming Punjab had become a convenient political excuse for Delhi.
“People in Delhi have only one thing to say – Punjab is responsible for pollution. Questioning the logic behind attributing Delhi’s pollution to farm fires in Punjab, Goyal argued that the smoke from Punjab does not simply travel directly to Delhi, bypassing Haryana. The minister maintained that the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government had put comprehensive arrangements in place to tackle stubble burning and had taken several measures to encourage farmers to manage paddy residue without setting it on fire. His remarks come amid an intensifying political confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Punjab government and the BJP-led governments in Delhi and at the Centre over the recurring pollution crisis. the AAP government has maintained that Delhi’s pollution cannot be attributed solely to agricultural residue burning in Punjab While the BJP has repeatedly questioned the Punjab government’s efforts to prevent farm fires. It has also pointed towards vehicular emissions, industrial activity and other local sources of pollution in the national capital.
Reacting to the allegations linking Punjab’s stubble burning to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality, Goyal said that blaming Punjab had become a convenient political excuse for Delhi. Even when there is no stubble burning, they continue to claim that pollution is coming from Punjab,” the minister said. He said Delhi must also acknowledge the contribution of its own vehicular emissions and industrial pollution instead of putting the entire blame on Punjab.
