Punjab defamed on Delhi pollution: Dhaliwal

Chief spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal today launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Central and Delhi governments over the worsening pollution levels in the national capital. Dhaliwal said that for several years, as part of a well planned conspiracy, the Central government, and now even the Delhi government, has been blaming the farmers of Punjab for the pollution there and defaming them, but the truth of both these governments has now come out in front of everyone.

Addressing the media during a press conference on Tuesday, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the data presented yesterday in the Lok Sabha by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has made everything clear. The Union Minister himself informed the House that stubble burning incidents in Punjab have reduced by up to 90 per cent. "This statement proves that the way the BJP and the Delhi government have been creating noise by holding Punjab solely responsible for Delhi's pollution was completely false and politically motivated," said Dhaliwal.

He said that the truth is that the main reason behind Delhi's rising pollution is its own industrial waste. He said that a reputed organisation working on environmental issues, Centre for Science and Environment or CSE, has clearly stated in its report that the real cause of Delhi's pollution is industrial waste and the smoke emitted from fires in the mountains of garbage.

Dhaliwal held the Delhi government directly responsible for this. He questioned Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa, asking them to tell the people of Delhi that when stubble burning in Punjab has become negligible, then who is now responsible for Delhi's pollution?

Dhaliwal also cornered the Central government over the issue of floods in Punjab and said that the Centre earlier blamed Punjab for the floods. The Centre argued that the state faced floods due to uncleared drains and illegal mining. "But the statement given in the House by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has exposed this lie as well," he said adding that the Union Minister clearly admitted that the floods in Punjab were solely a natural disaster, and not because of mining or anything else.

Dhaliwal said that the statement of the Union Minister made it clear that the BJP-led Central government and the Delhi government were jointly defaming the people of Punjab and the hardworking farmers of the state.