AAP MLA and Chief Whip in the Delhi Assembly Sanjeev Jha has hit back at Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa’s claim that Delhi’s air is clean, calling it a blatant denial of reality. Sanjeev Jha said that under BJP’s “four-engine government,” Delhi’s air has turned toxic, making it difficult for residents to even breathe. “Every phone in Delhi shows an AQI between 1000 and 1500, yet the Environment Minister, like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand, insists there is no pollution,” Sanjeev Jha remarked.
Senior AAP leader and MLA Sanjeev Jha said the BJP government erased the DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) and CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) data recorded on Diwali night to suppress the truth, but hiding data does not hide reality. He said banned crackers were openly sold and burst under BJP’s protection, even though the Supreme Court had permitted only green crackers.
Sanjeev Jha said, “Yamuna is filled with toxic foam, the air is full of poison, and the government continues to issue hollow statements. They had announced plans for artificial rainfall—so why has it not been implemented? Where is the Winter Action Plan? What steps are being taken to safeguard Delhiites’ right to breathe?”
He said Delhi’s air quality continues to deteriorate and breathing has become difficult, but Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa is denying the very existence of pollution. “The minister’s claim reminds one of an ostrich that hides its head in the sand during a storm and later insists no storm ever came. That’s exactly what the BJP’s Environment Minister is doing,” Jha said. “It’s shocking that the DPCC and CPCB data for Diwali night are unavailable. But stealing or suppressing data won’t hide the truth.”
Sanjeev Jha said that every Delhiite could see pollution levels between 1000 and 1500 AQI on their mobile phones the morning after Diwali. “This level of pollution is suffocating Delhi’s people. Yet the BJP government—including CM Rekha Gupta and her ministers—are not discussing any concrete steps, action plans, or even their so-called Winter Action Plan. Instead of working, the BJP keeps blaming farmers of Punjab and Delhi. The truth is, the BJP has always been against farmers. But will blaming farmers reduce pollution? No—it won’t. The BJP government must take concrete action,” Sanjeev Jha stated.
Highlighting the government’s hypocrisy, Sanjeev Jha said, “The Supreme Court had clearly said only green crackers should be used. Yet all kinds of crackers were sold and burst throughout Delhi under BJP’s protection. BJP ministers themselves said crackers would be burst—why? Many cracker companies have said they paid crores of rupees to BJP ministers. These ministers took money and ran advertisements claiming, ‘How can Diwali be celebrated without crackers?’”
Sanjeev Jha said, “Diwali is a festival of lights. But for BJP ministers, the right to burst crackers has become more important than the right to live. Which scripture says crackers must be burst on Diwali? Skanda Purana says that on Kartik Amavasya, one should light lamps and offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi. Diwali is a festival of lamps. The BJP is promoting cracker culture for commission from manufacturers, and it’s Delhi’s people who are paying the price.”
Sanjeev Jha appealed to BJP leaders to look within their own families. “Surely, some of their relatives suffer from asthma or respiratory diseases. Ask them how painful this pollution is. The BJP has forgotten the suffering of Delhiites in its greed for money and commissions. Whether it’s Yamuna pollution or toxic air, these issues won’t be solved with mere statements. If the government said it would carry out artificial rainfall, it should do so. All permissions have already been granted. If artificial rain can reduce pollution, then it must be done,” he said.
He further said, “Today, Yamuna is again covered in foam. The government is spraying chemicals from boats. Foam may disappear for a while, but pollution won’t. If the Yamuna is truly clean, let the entire Cabinet drink its water and prove it to Delhi’s people. Only then will they believe the river has been cleaned. Whether it’s Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa or the entire BJP government, it’s their negligence for which the people of Delhi are suffering. I hope the BJP will finally act and stop this irresponsibility,” Sanjeev Jha concluded.
