Air Pollution Debate In Parliament Gets Musical

A debate on pollution in Parliament went musical on Thursday with a union minister belting out a Bollywood number for clean air and a member echoing similar songs.

And there was also a witty response from another member to suggestions from two union ministers that consuming carrots and listening to music can help check the effects of air pollution.

"They are asking us to eat carrots. Are we goats?" asked Pratap Singh Bajwa, a Congress member in the Rajya Sabha, taking a dig at Health Minister Harsh Vardhan for his suggestion that consuming carrots can help avoid pollution-related harms. Mr Vardhan was present in the House.

In the Lok Sabha, Union minister Babul Supriyo belted out a few lines of the popular Bollywood song ''Hawa ke sath sath, ghata ke sang sang'' to drive home the point that the government is taking steps for "cleaner" air.

Mr Supriyo, who is a playback singer, said the government is trying to clean up the air so that everyone can sing this song from the movie "Seeta Aur Geeta". Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Hema Malini were the lead actors in the popular movie released in the seventies.

The minister intervened in a discussion on "Air Pollution and Climate Change" when BJP's Sunita Duggal expressed concern over air pollution and remarked that in the coming days perhaps Bollywood would stop shooting song sequences in the backdrop of greenery and fresh air.

She mentioned two songs - ''Jab chali thandi hawa'' and Pakistani singer Hassan Jahangir's ''Hawa hawa aye hawa'' - while flagging concerns over deteriorating air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Mr Duggal wondered if the air remains polluted like this, how will Bollywood make such songs in the future.

She said several members in the House including Hema Malini and Babul Supriyo come from the film industry.

Participating in the debate on pollution in the Rajya Sabha, Pratap Singh Bajwa said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan recently tweeted that people should eat carrots for protection from pollution related harm to health.

Mr Bajwa also referred to a recent tweet by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar that people should start their day by listening to music.

"He knows that people's lungs are stuck now, throat is choked and eyes are not responding as tears are coming out. We are already facing the music," he said, asking, "Is this the way the government is tackling the pollution?"

"One is asking us to eat carrot. We are being considered as animals. Another is saying listen to music. Has any one opened a music academy?" said Mr Bajwa sarcastically.