Delhi Pollution Crisis: On Monday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a strong protest outside the Delhi Assembly, wearing masks, on the first day of the winter session to highlight the issue of pollution. Led by Leader of Opposition Atishi, AAP MLAs raised loud slogans against the BJP government.
Atishi said, “Delhi residents are suffocating due to pollution. For the past four months, people here have been unable to breathe properly, yet the government is not enforcing pollution control measures strictly. Delhi has become a gas chamber. Children and the elderly are falling ill. Instead of providing solutions, the BJP’s four-engine government is busy manipulating AQI data.”
She added that when AAP MLAs tried to highlight the issue in the Assembly, they were forcibly removed by marshals.
Delhi Pollution Crisis: Atishi Criticizes BJP Government’s Inaction
Atishi said, “Delhi residents cannot breathe and are dying due to toxic air, yet the BJP is neither willing to act on pollution nor even discuss it. Today we were removed from the Assembly simply because we wore masks to draw attention to this crisis. Hospitals are overflowing, children are suffocating, elderly lives are at risk, and yet Assembly representatives cannot even wear masks inside. This is shameful. The BJP government has done nothing apart from sprinkling water on AQI monitors.”
She further questioned, “Why are people in Delhi dying due to toxic air? All data shows that pollution this year is the worst Delhi has seen in the past decade. The excuse of stubble burning in Punjab no longer holds, as central government data shows no significant burning there. So where is this pollution coming from?”
Atishi criticized the BJP, saying, “Since the BJP came to power in Delhi, pollution has increased. Their approach is to manipulate numbers, present false data, and sprinkle water on AQI monitors. Water is not going into our lungs. Our children breathe this toxic air, the elderly suffocate, and the BJP government is responsible. There will be no compromise on Delhi residents’ health. We demand concrete and immediate action, not empty slogans. From the streets to the Assembly, we will fight for every breath of Delhi residents.”
Delhi Pollution Crisis: AAP MLAs Forced to Protest in Masks
During the protest outside the Assembly, Atishi reiterated that for the past four months, Delhi residents have been unable to breathe. Children are suffocating, elderly lives are at risk, and hospitals like AIIMS have reported people struggling to survive. The BJP government is manipulating AQI monitors and not properly implementing pollution control measures. This forced AAP MLAs to wear masks to the Assembly to represent Delhi residents’ demand for clean air and expose the government.
Delhi Pollution Crisis: Sanjeev Jha Questions LG’s 80% Pollution Reduction Plan
AAP Chief Whip Sanjeev Jha said, “Today was the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) address in the Assembly. He had earlier claimed that if Delhi government followed his plan, pollution could reduce by 80%. We wanted to ask him what happened to this plan—whether the BJP government is ignoring him, or if it was false, or if the public is being misled to harm AAP politically. They owe an explanation.”
He added, “Pollution in Delhi is severe. People are being hospitalized. Doctors have said December has been the most polluted month. I expected the LG to listen, but as soon as I stood to ask, the Assembly Speaker had me removed by marshals. Why this panic?”
Delhi Pollution Crisis: Sanjeev Jha Criticizes BJP’s Failures
Commenting on the CAG report, Sanjeev Jha said, “It exposes the BJP government’s inaction. Had they acted in the past ten months, they could have reduced pollution, improved the Yamuna, provided relief during festivals, and prevented deaths caused by waterlogging. Instead, the BJP made false promises to win votes and is now indulging in politics, hiding its failures with lies in the Assembly.”
He clarified, “We did not walk out; we were forcibly removed. We only wanted to ask about the 80% pollution reduction plan because the Delhi Assembly represents the people, and the public expects answers from us. The LG should have explained why the plan hasn’t been implemented, perhaps because the government is not listening.”
Gopal Rai Demands BJP Take Responsibility
AAP MLA Gopal Rai said, “The Delhi BJP government has completely failed to control pollution, and people are bearing the consequences of its failures. We demand that this issue be discussed in the Assembly. The government must answer because Delhi residents deserve answers. Until this happens, AAP will continue to raise this demand strongly.”
Kuldeep Kumar Condemns BJP’s Mask Ban
MLA Kuldeep Kumar said, “The BJP government must take pollution seriously. The four-engine BJP administration is only busy suppressing pollution data. They made AAP MLAs remove masks in the Assembly, but removing masks or hiding data will not reduce pollution. The Chief Minister must work seriously to tackle this crisis.”
He added, “Delhi’s air is suffocating. Children’s lungs are deteriorating, and the entire population, including the elderly, is struggling to breathe. Hospitals are overcrowded, medicines are scarce, and people are suffering. Residents want to know what the BJP government has done. Forcing the public to remove masks while the air is toxic is unacceptable. The government must act decisively to protect Delhi’s people and clean the air.”
