Punjab stubble burning not responsible for Delhi’s pollution; AQI across Punjab is between 70 and 100: Arvind Kejriwal
Punjab E News: As Delhi continues to choke under a blanket of toxic air, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, the national capital has been reduced to a gas chamber while those in positions of power remain unmoved, with the Prime Minister abroad in Oman and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Germany. Holding both the Delhi government and the Centre responsible for the worsening crisis, the AAP Chief said pollution cannot be reduced without the Central government taking active responsibility, noting that even official AQI readings crossing 450 are being artificially lowered by spraying water near monitoring stations.
Drawing a stark contrast with the past, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said such suffocating conditions were never witnessed during the ten years of the AAP government, when inspection teams and strict enforcement helped control pollution, and warned that today there is neither intent nor action, only manipulation of data, even as cities like Beijing cleaned their air through decisive governance.
During a press conference, Arvind Kejriwal said that the long-standing narrative of Punjab’s stubble burning causing Delhi’s pollution has collapsed. “It was always said that Delhi’s pollution is because of stubble burning in Punjab. Just a day before yesterday, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann held a video conference and presented complete data showing that at this moment the AQI of all cities across Punjab is between 70 and 100,” he said, adding, “If there is no smoke in Punjab and no stubble burning is happening there at this time, then whatever pollution exists in Delhi right now is Delhi’s own pollution.”
The AAP Supremo said that addressing this pollution requires serious and coordinated action. “To remove this pollution, both the Delhi government and the Central government need to take appropriate steps,” he asserted.
Recalling the decade-long tenure of the AAP government in Delhi, he said such extreme conditions were never seen earlier. “For ten years, as long as our government was in power in Delhi, we never saw such severe pollution,” he said.
Arvind Kejriwal questioned the credibility of official pollution figures, saying even the displayed AQI does not reflect reality. “Even the official AQI being shown is known by everyone to be manipulated. Water is being sprayed around the meters to bring the readings down. Despite that, the AQI still crosses 450 and even crosses 400,” he said. He warned that the real situation is far worse, stating, “If the actual AQI is measured, it would probably be above 700 or 800. The entire atmosphere is suffocating.”
The AAP Chief said, “Instead of controlling pollution, their entire focus is on messing with things. Tamper with the AQI. For many days, GRAP-IV was not allowed to be implemented. GRAP-IV has been applied only recently.”
Highlighting the gap between announcements and ground reality, Arvind Kejriwal said, “GRAP-IV has been announced, but openly across Delhi, construction activities are going on everywhere. GRAP-IV has been implemented only on paper, not in reality.”
Contrasting this with the measures taken earlier, Arvind Kejriwal said the AAP government had enforced strict action on the ground. “When our government was in power, we took several steps. We formed numerous inspection teams to stop garbage burning. At night, in many places, whether guards or people lit fires to keep warm, all such fires were prevented. Many strict measures were taken, because of which pollution was controlled,” he said.
Calling the approach of the Central government the most dangerous aspect of the crisis, Arvind Kejriwal said the Prime Minister’s silence was alarming. “The most dangerous thing is the attitude of the Central government, especially the Prime Minister. Not a single word has come from the Prime Minister. The capital of the country has turned into a gas chamber, and the Prime Minister of that country has nothing to do with pollution,” he said.
He questioned how pollution could be reduced in such circumstances. “How can pollution be reduced? Delhi’s pollution will reduce only when the Central government takes a very active interest in it and works seriously on it,” he said.
Drawing a global comparison, Arvind Kejriwal referred to Beijing’s experience. “One and a half decades ago, Beijing’s AQI used to be even worse than ours, and pollution there was far higher than in Delhi. But the government there worked. They showed intent to act. Neither the Delhi government nor the Central government shows any intent at all. Their only intent is to tamper with the AQI, to spray water near meters, to do such things.”
Arvind Kejriwal said this approach reveals the true priorities of those in power. “If you do things like this, it shows that your intent is not to give relief to people. Your intent is something else altogether,” he said.
Referring to a striking observation he heard earlier in the day, Arvind Kejriwal said, “This morning, I heard someone say that the Prime Minister is in Oman, the Leader of the Opposition is in Germany, and the country’s capital is choking in pollution. No one seems to be worried about pollution. If no one is concerned about pollution, then how will pollution ever be reduced?”
