People want clean air, not excuses: Rahul slams BJP on Delhi pollution; saffron party hits back

New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday raised concern over the worsening air quality in the national capital, saying with both the Centre and Delhi under the BJP rule, people expect clean air instead of excuses.

The BJP hit back, asserting that Delhi's air quality began to decline during the Congress' 15-year tenure and failed to improve in the decade-long rule of its ally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also accused Gandhi of defaming the people of Delhi and the city government, alleging that the problem of air pollution is a creation of the Congress and the AAP.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said Delhi's air is becoming "increasingly poisonous", but the BJP governments keep changing their excuses.

"Year after year, Delhi's air is becoming increasingly poisonous, but BJP governments just keep changing their excuses. Now, both at the Centre and in Delhi, it's their own government in power. No excuses now, the public wants clean air," he said in his post.

Gandhi shared an over eight-minute video in which he is seen discussing the issue of air pollution with an environmentalist near the India Gate complex here early in the morning.

He is heard saying in the video, "I have been having breathing issues and my eyes are burning. The last week has been terrible." The former Congress party chief remarked that while the damage caused by air pollution continues throughout the year, people tend to realise its effects only during this period.

Gandhi mentioned that he had considered shifting his mother -- former Congress president Sonia Gandhi -- out of Delhi during this period due to the rising levels of air pollution.

He also sought to know the primary reason for the rising pollution levels in Delhi and whether only farmers and vehicular pollution were to be blamed for the crisis.

Hitting back, Delhi minister Sirsa released a video in which he said that he would like to remind Rahul Gandhi that Delhi's air quality first deteriorated under the 15-year Congress rule and then the 10-year tenure of its partner, the AAP.

Sirsa said the most polluted days were recorded during the combined 25 years of the Congress and the AAP rule in Delhi.

"The cleanest air days in a decade have been under the Rekha Gupta government in Delhi. It proves you (Rahul) are systematically trying to defame the people of Delhi and its government. Let me tell you, this AQI problem was created by the Congress and its partner AAP," Sirsa said in the video.

The minister said Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) on Monday was 309, compared to 382 on the same day in 2024, when the AAP government led by Arvind Kejriwal was in power.

Previously, he said it was 468 in 2023, followed by 450, 314, 494 and 340 in preceding years.

"The AQI is lowest today under the Rekha Gupta government, even though the number of vehicles has increased by 10 per cent in Delhi. Also, construction activities have increased by 21 per cent, and even petrol and diesel vehicles older than 15 years and 10 years are on the road," he said.

He also dismissed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's claim of Rs 34 crore being spent on a cloud seeding exercise in Delhi, calling it the "biggest fraud and act of dishonesty".

Sirsa alleged that Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were spreading "lies" regarding Delhi's air pollution situation.

Priyanka Gandhi had on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to intervene and take immediate steps for clearing the "filthy smog" people are breathing. PTI SKC/VIT RHL