Delhi BJP protests against AAP govt, distributes masks amid worsening air pollution

New Delhi, Nov 19 (PTI) BJP leaders on Tuesday staged protests against the AAP government and distributed face masks in different areas of the city as Delhi continues to grapple with severe air pollution.

During a protest by the party’s Yuva Morcha at Anand Vihar, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva criticised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi, accusing the government of inaction in addressing the pollution crisis.

“The people of Delhi are struggling for their breath, while Kejriwal and Atishi are defending the AAP government in Punjab, where crop stubble burning is choking the national capital. The condition of damaged roads and dust pollution has worsened the situation further,” Sachdeva claimed.

He charged that the AAP government has become a “calamity” for Delhiites by creating an emergency situation for them.

“Delhiites are paying the price for the AAP government’s criminal negligence,” he said.

During the protest, Union Minister Harsh Malhotra said that living in Delhi without a face mask now is putting lives at risk, Meanwhile, Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, accompanied by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Vice Chairman Kuljeet Chahal, distributed face masks at Palika Bazar in Connaught Place.

“I cannot distribute masks to the three crore people of Delhi, but I can at least create public awareness by giving them to some people. Due to the inaction and carelessness of the AAP government, the air in Delhi has become so poisonous that every person, young or old, is in grave danger,” Tiwari said.

Former Union Minister Vijay Goel, who demonstrated a protest at ITO, alleged that the AAP government has failed to help the people struggling against the persistent hazardous air in the city.

Goel questioned how many more years will it take for Kejriwal to address Delhi’s pollution effectively, and charged that over the past 10 years AAP government has relied on rhetoric than serious measures to tackle the issue of air pollution in winters.

He said that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Delhi has touched 500, and in some places even reached 1133. The AAP government has turned Delhi into a gas chamber and people in the city can not go out for morning walk because of pollution, he added. Meanwhile Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, said that due to the extreme levels of pollution, air purifiers have failed, forcing people to wear masks even inside their homes. PTI VIT VIT ARD OZ OZ