Centre vs Arvind Kejriwal Row Simmers As Delhi Gasps For Clean Air

A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked school students to write letters to his Punjab and Haryana counterparts over pollution caused by stubble burning, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar slammed him for "politicising" the issue and said he was trying to paint them as "villains". The Union Minister's attack, in a series of tweets, came as the Mr Kejriwal sent him a letter asking for details of the government's plan to counter crop waste burning in state's neighbouring Delhi.

"I feel it is very unfortunate that the Delhi chief minister is politicising the issue of pollution and indulging in blame game instead of finding a solution. He is instigating children to send letters to Haryana and Punjab chief ministers to present them in a bad light and as villains," the minister said on Saturday.

Mr Javadekar said air pollution is a problem which has aggravated in the past 15 years and is now being remedied by the Narendra Modi government.

"The solution to air pollution is not with a 'switch on' and 'switch off' mode. It is with sustained efforts that pollution will be brought down. All the state agencies and people need to participate in this effort to combat it," the minister said.

Taking a dig at the Delhi chief minister, Mr Javadekar, who is also the minister for information and broadcasting, said that instead of spending crores on advertisements, the Delhi government should focus on using the money for larger good.

"I am not interested in blaming anyone today. Instead of spending Rs 1,500 crore on advertisements, the Delhi government should give it to the farmers of Punjab and Haryana to tackle pollution and acquire machines that would help in reducing pollution. Any blame game will not reduce the pollution, but efforts in the right direction will," he said.

But it was these machines - to clear crop residue without burning them - that the centre was supposed to provide to the farmers in Punjab, Haryana and UP, Mr Kejriwal said in his letter, citing an affidavit filed by the centre in the Supreme Court.

"Why is the centre providing these machines in yearly instalments? At this rate, in how many years will the centre provide requisite number of machines? Will the people of Delhi continue to suffer till then?" the Chief Minister wrote.

"The high levels of pollution is not only a health hazard for our citizens, it is also shows India in poor light in the eyes of visiting dignitaries. German Chancellor Ms Angela Merkel is in Delhi for an official visit. I wonder what impression would she carry of India with such high levels of pollution. The images of international cricketers playing cricket wearing masks does not create a good image of India," he added.

With farmers continuing to defy the ban on stubble burning, a blanket of haze engulfed Punjab and Haryana that also extended to Delhi. The capital city's air quality is likely to remain "severe" due to calm winds, which is unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants, according to government air quality monitor SAFAR.

(With inputs from PTI)