Sonia leads Oppn’s protest against ‘toxic’ air in Capital

MPs from several parties assembled wearing masks, holding a banner that read ‘Mausam ka maza lijiye’, a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent comment at the opening of the winter session.

The Opposition described the current levels of pollution in the Capital as an escalating public health crisis that required urgent and coordinated action.

Addressing reporters after the demonstration, Gandhi said the worsening air quality was impacting people across age groups. She said the government could not look away when children were falling ill and the elderly were struggling to breathe.

“Pollution is not an issue to score political points on. The Opposition will back the government if it takes any meaningful steps,” said Gandhi, calling for clear and sustained action from the Centre.

As Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge joined the protest, he signalled the party’s intent to keep the issue at the forefront of Parliament’s agenda.

The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also took a swipe at the PM for his remark, ‘Enjoy the whether’, at a time when the city is allegedly grappling with air pollution.

“We held the demonstration in Parliament against the BJP’s indifference towards poisonous air,” he said.

In the Lok Sabha, Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Manish Tewari and Vijayakumar (Vijay Vasanth) also submitted notices demanding a dedicated discussion on the deterioration of air quality across North India. They pressed the government to recognise air pollution as a national health emergency and frame an urgent action plan to protect citizens during the peak winter months.