Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi slams Delhi Minister over pollution apology

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday took a swipe at Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa over his apology for the worsening air quality in the national capital, questioning its purpose and accused the Central government of failing to initiate meaningful discussion in Parliament on the issue.

Speaking to reporters, the Congress MP said, "What is the point of apologizing?... We have said that everyone should collectively take solid decisions, but not even a discussion is happening here (in the Parliament)."

Notably, opposition leaders have been demanding a parliamentary discussion to develop a systematic plan to address the issue of rising air pollution in parts of the country.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa apologized for the toxic air in the national capital and said it is "impossible" for any elected government to reduce AQI (air quality index) in just 9-10 months.

Delhi-NCR is grappling with deteriorating air quality, with severe smog and AQI hovering between poor and severe, raising serious health concerns for the region's residents.

Addressing a press conference, Minister Sirsa accused the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of being responsible for Delhi's pollution and said that the current BJP government is working to fix it.

"It is impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in 9-10 months. I apologize for the pollution in Delhi. We are doing better work than the dishonest AAP government, and we have reduced AQI each day. This disease of pollution is given to us by the Aam Aadmi Party, and we are working to fix it," Sirsa said during the press conference. (ANI)

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