Chandigarh:
The political battle over Delhi’s worsening air pollution has escalated into a fresh confrontation between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party or AAP and the Opposition BJP. Senior AAP leaders Harpal Singh Cheema and Baltej Singh Pannu have launched a sharp counterattack against the BJP over allegations linking Punjab’s stubble burning to the national capital’s pollution crisis.
The latest exchange follows remarks by Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra. The BJP has been raising concern over stubble burning in the state, holding it responsible for contributing to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality. The AAP leadership, however, has accused the BJP of deliberately targeting Punjab and its farming community.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the BJP an anti-Punjab and anti-farmer party, alleging that it was repeatedly looking for opportunities to malign the state’s farmers.
Taking direct aim at Kapil Mishra, Cheema described his remarks as “outright lies” and questioned the logic of blaming Punjab for Delhi’s pollution when Haryana lies geographically between the two regions.
“Does the smoke travel from Punjab to Delhi in vehicles or is it packed in sacks and sent to the national capital?” Cheema asked sarcastically.
Pointing to the geographical distance, he said nearly 300 kilometres of Haryana separates Punjab from Delhi. He also questioned why the BJP was not highlighting pollution originating in Haryana with the same intensity.
Cheema then said apparently, Haryana’s smoke travelled towards Pakistan while Punjab’s smoke was blamed for reaching Delhi.
BJP Accused Of Deliberately Targeting Punjab Farmers
Joining the political offensive, senior AAP leader Baltej Singh Pannu accused the BJP of repeatedly searching for opportunities to defame Punjab’s farmers.
Pannu claimed that even before the beginning of the paddy harvesting season, BJP leaders had started raising the issue of smoke from Punjab, suggesting that the party had already decided to make the state a target in the pollution debate.
He asserted that stubble-burning incidents in Punjab had declined by nearly 90 per cent and questioned the BJP’s continued attempts to hold the state’s farmers responsible for Delhi’s pollution.
Pannu demanded that the BJP stop blaming Punjab’s farmers for the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and instead acknowledge the steps taken to reduce farm fires.
Taking the BJP head-on over the farmers’ agitation, Pannu also asked what the party had done for the 750 farmers who allegedly lost their lives during the prolonged protest against the three farm laws.
His remarks sought to revive the political memory of the farmers’ movement, during which protesters from Punjab and other states had camped at Delhi’s borders for months before the Centre withdrew the three contentious agricultural laws.
AAP On Government’s Anti-Stubble Burning Measures
Defending the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s efforts, Cheema said it has provided farmers with a large number of agricultural machines over the past five years to manage paddy straw without burning it.
He claimed the machinery had helped farmers handle crop residue and contributed to a significant decline in stubble-burning incidents.
The AAP leaders maintained that Punjab’s farmers were being unfairly singled out despite the state’s efforts to provide alternatives to stubble burning.
Pollution Debate Turns BJP-AAP Conflict
The latest exchange has added another dimension to the ongoing BJP-AAP confrontation, with Delhi’s pollution crisis increasingly becoming a political battleground between the two parties.
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