As Delhi's air quality continues to worsen, a heated blame game has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), each accusing the other of failing to address the crisis. The political sparring match comes as residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) grapple with hazardous levels of air pollution, raising serious concerns about public health.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has launched a direct attack on AAP, alleging that the party has neglected the city after governing it for over a decade. Sirsa has accused AAP of deliberately burning waste at various locations, exacerbating pollution levels and displaying a disregard for public health concerns. Citing an incident reported by the Trilokpuri MLA, Sirsa claimed that an AAP councillor was caught burning garbage in his constituency. Sirsa urged former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to put an end to such activities.
AAP has strongly refuted these allegations, dismissing them as lies and accusing Sirsa of manipulating Air Quality Index (AQI) figures. The party alleges that Sirsa has tampered with monitoring equipment to create a false narrative and challenged him to provide evidence to support his claims or refrain from spreading "fake claims". AAP claims that Sirsa has been shutting down monitoring systems and spraying water on AQI stations to manipulate the readings.
The BJP has also criticized AAP's past governance, alleging that the city was left buried under garbage mountains and smog during their tenure. Sirsa stated that the current government is addressing the crisis daily, working hotspot by hotspot, landfill by landfill, and industry by industry, to correct the damage done over the past 10 to 15 years. He added that previous governments had only identified 13 pollution hotspots, while the present government has identified 62 traffic congestion hotspots and initiated focused interventions. According to Sirsa, roads were not properly repaired, footpaths were neglected, and green cover did not increase under the previous government, making them responsible for the current pollution crisis.
In response to the worsening air quality, AAP leaders, led by Saurabh Bharadwaj, staged a protest at Janpath. Two individuals dressed as Santa Claus were seen wearing masks and rallying with the demonstrators.
The ongoing blame game between the BJP and AAP highlights the deep-seated political divisions surrounding the issue of air pollution in Delhi. As the city continues to struggle with hazardous air quality, it remains to be seen whether the two parties can put aside their differences and work together to find effective solutions to protect public health.
The political wrangling also extends to accountability for addressing the pollution crisis. AAP has accused BJP ministers of prioritizing campaigning in other states while neglecting the deteriorating air quality in Delhi. In response, the BJP has questioned AAP's leadership and their commitment to resolving the issue.
Amid the political storm, experts have emphasized the need for comprehensive and sustained action to tackle Delhi's air pollution. Factors such as vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction activities, and regional stubble burning contribute to the city's poor air quality. Effective measures to mitigate pollution require a multi-faceted approach, including stricter emission controls, promotion of public transportation, enforcement of construction regulations, and collaboration with neighboring states to address stubble burning.
