Rahul Gandhi seeks discussion on pollution in Parliament

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday sought a structured discussion on the issue of air pollution in Parliament, highlighting its ill effects on the health of the people, especially children and the elderly, which is prevalent in major cities across the nation. The government, on its part, showed its willingness and indicated that the suggestion would be accommodated as per the schedule of Lok Sabha.

Gandhi raised it as an issue of public importance during zero hour, saying that most cities were under a blanket of poisonous air, putting millions of lives, especially those of children, at risk.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the matter had been brought up during a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee and that the government was prepared to “take up this matter” like other significant ones after assessing how it could be accommodated as part of the proceedings.

Gandhi further said that the Opposition was more than happy to cooperate on discussing the issue and developing a plan to tackle it. “There are not many issues these days that the government and the entire Opposition can agree on and I think it’s a very good idea that we have at least one…This is one issue where we can show the country that we can also plan and work together to solve something that is critical,” the LoP said.

“We should all have a discussion in Parliament, and we should try and not make it a discussion where we are abusing you (government) and you are abusing us (Opposition)… there is agreement and the best minds should be put into place to solve this issue,” he suggested further.

Gandhi even suggested that a detailed discussion could be followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi putting in place a “methodical and systematic” plan for each city for the coming five to 10 years to make the “lives of our people easier”.

Responding to this, Rijiju said that the issue was also put up before the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Lok Sabha and the government is always prepared to have discussion under any rule.