AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged in a press conference on Monday that paddy stubble (parali) burning in Haryana was responsible for air pollution in Delhi
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar on Monday asked his Delhi counterpart to focus on protecting people from the worsening air quality in the national capital. This comes a day after Arvind Kejriwal offered “help” to implement the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra’ scheme. Khattar asserted that Haryana is fully capable of implementing welfare schemes and said that the state would be “happy to help” Kejriwal if he faces any problems in governing Delhi.
Days after the BJP-led government in Haryana launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra’ scheme for the elderly, Kejriwal on Sunday said the BJP is trying to work for the people by learning from his government. In a post on X, Kejriwal also extended help to Khattar in implementing the scheme. The Haryana chief minister, in a post in Hindi, said on X, “Our dashing Haryana is fully capable of implementing every scheme.”
“Protect the citizens by taking responsibility for pollution in Delhi. In this time of crisis, leaving Delhi and travelling to other states to campaign for elections is a sign of your irresponsibility,” Khattar told Kejriwal, who has been campaigning in some poll-bound states.
AAP-BJP Slugfest Over Stubble Burning
Meanwhile, the blame game between the ruling AAP in Delhi and the BJP continued amid the severe air pollution crisis, with both parties holding stubble burning in states ruled by the other as cause of the health scare in the national capital.
AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged in a press conference on Monday that paddy stubble (parali) burning in Haryana was responsible for air pollution in Delhi and BJP government in the state did nothing to prevent farm fires.
Hitting back, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva claimed there were over 3,000 stubble burning incidents in AAP-ruled Punjab on Sunday while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was busy with “political tourism” in poll- bound states.
“Kejriwal has turned Delhi into the city of smoke. There were 3,230 incidents of parali burning in Punjab on Sunday alone but Kejriwal has kept mum over it because his party rules in the state,” Sachdeva charged.
People are choking due to air pollution in Delhi but Kejriwal’s priority is “political tourism”, he said and added that immediate steps were needed to combat the crisis.
Sachdeva further alleged that damaged roads, dust and farm fires in Punjab were the major factors behind the high level of air pollution in the city.
Kakkar, on the other hand, claimed that stubble burning in Haryana’s Sonipat, Panipat, Rohtak was leading to smoke that was reaching Delhi but the Khattar government was doing nothing to check it.
“In Haryana, parali is burning at 100 km away from Delhi while stubble is being burnt in Punjab 500 km away from the national capital,” she said.