Priyanka urges PM Modi, Delhi CM to act on pollution; BJP hits back

Flagging the issue of air pollution in Delhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra 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.

The BJP hit back at the Congress general secretary, claiming she never spoke up about Delhi's pollution situation during the rule of her party or Aam Aadmi Party but has chosen to comment when the BJP government is working round the clock to fight both air and water pollution.

In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said that while returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking.

The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it, she said.

"It's really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state governments need to act immediately, we will all support and cooperate with whatever actions they choose to take to mitigate this awful situation," she said.

Priyanka Gandhi said year after year the citizens of Delhi are subjected to this toxicity with no recourse.

"Those who suffer from respiratory issues, children who commute to school every day and senior citizens especially, need urgent intervention to clear the filthy smog we are all breathing," the Congress leader said and asked PM Modi, Environment Minister Yadav and the Delhi CM to take immediate steps.

Reacting to her remarks, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said it is surprising to see that after over almost two decades of Delhiites suffering from acute pollution, Priyanka Gandhi has today woken up to raise the issue of pollution in the national capital.

"Delhiites very well remember that Delhi city was first turned into a worst gas chamber during the Congress government rule around the year 2009 and it was Congress government of Punjab till 2022 whose callousness led to mass crop residual burning further adding to Delhiites' woes," he said in a statement.

Sachdeva further said that it is surprising that Priyanka Gandhi never spoke up about Delhi's pollution situation during the rule of her party or Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi but has chosen to comment through a social media post when the BJP government is working round the clock to fight both air and water pollution.

It would have been morally and politically fair had Priyanka Gandhi checked that winter pollution is best controlled in 2025 after over a decade due to efforts put in by the new BJP government, he said.

Delhi's air quality worsened on Sunday as weak winds trapped pollutants, raising the overall AQI to 366 in the 'very poor' category with three monitoring stations recording readings above 400 in the 'severe' category, the Central Pollution Control Board data showed.

The overall AQI rose sharply from 303 recorded a day earlier, CPCB data showed.

The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi said wind speed dropped below 8 kmph from the northwest direction during the evening and night, reducing the dispersion of pollutants.

Three monitoring stations in the city recorded 'severe' air quality with readings above 400, with Wazirpur reporting the highest level at 413. Another 28 stations registered 'very poor' air quality with readings above 300, as per CPCB's Sameer app.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.