‘People Can’t Breathe’: AAP MLAs Protest In Delhi Legislative Assembly Over Toxic Air
The MLAs were subsequently marshalled out of the House, triggering sharp political exchanges.
The air pollution crisis in the national capital spilled into the Delhi Legislative Assembly on the opening day of the Winter Session on Monday, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs staging a protest inside and outside the House while wearing industrial-grade masks to highlight what they called the BJP government’s failure to control toxic air.
Led by Leader of Opposition Atishi, AAP legislators raised slogans against the ruling BJP, alleging poor implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and manipulation of air quality data. The MLAs were subsequently marshalled out of the House, triggering sharp political exchanges.
‘Delhi Turned Into Gas Chamber’: Atishi
Former Delhi chief minister and LoP Atishi accused the BJP government of refusing to even discuss pollution despite worsening conditions.
“The people of Delhi cannot breathe and are dying because of toxic air, yet the BJP is not even willing to discuss pollution,” Atishi said. She added that AAP MLAs were removed from the Assembly merely for wearing masks.
“In such a situation, can Delhi’s representatives not even wear masks inside the Assembly?” she asked.
Atishi claimed that hospitals were witnessing a surge in patients due to pollution. “Children are gasping for breath, elderly citizens are losing their lives, and wards at AIIMS are full,” she said, accusing the government of “sprinkling water on AQI monitors” instead of addressing the crisis.
Questioning Source Of Pollution
Rejecting the Centre’s earlier claims linking Delhi’s pollution to stubble burning in Punjab, Atishi said official data showed that crop burning had significantly reduced.
“So the question is, where is this pollution coming from?” she asked, alleging that pollution levels this year were the highest in a decade.
She held the BJP government directly responsible, saying pollution had worsened since it came to power in Delhi.
LG’s ‘80% Solution’ Questioned
AAP chief whip Sanjeev Jha raised questions over Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena’s earlier claim that pollution could be reduced by 80 per cent.
“The Aam Aadmi Party wanted to ask the LG what happened to that 80 per cent idea,” Jha said, adding that he was marshalled out when he tried to speak in the House.
“Is the BJP government not listening to him, or was the claim false?” he asked.
Jha also criticised the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the House, calling it “a bundle of the BJP government’s failures”.
‘Pollution Must Be Discussed in House’: Gopal Rai
AAP MLA Gopal Rai said Delhiites were paying the price for the government’s failure on pollution and demanded a full debate in the Assembly.
“The people of Delhi want answers. Until there is a discussion in the House, the Aam Aadmi Party will continue to raise this issue strongly,” Rai said.
‘Hiding Data Won’t Clean Air’: Kuldeep Kumar
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar accused the BJP government of suppressing pollution data and targeting the Opposition instead of acting on the crisis.
“Forcing AAP MLAs to remove masks in the House or manipulating AQI data will not reduce pollution,” Kumar said, adding that Delhi’s air had become “suffocating” and hospitals were overcrowded.
He said it was the government’s inaction that had forced residents to wear masks and even leave the city.
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