AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday alleged that central government data reveals that stubble burning in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are "major contributors" to air pollution in Delhi.
The AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab are the only ones that are reducing pollution and providing relief to the people, party leader Jasmine Shah said in a statement on Wednesday.
In the period between October 1-14, Shah claimed that in comparison to last year, there was a 27 per cent reduction in incidents of stubble burning in Punjab this year, while such incidents increased in BJP-ruled UP and Haryana.
"From October 1 to 14, (according to) the data from the central government agency Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), 1,105 stubble burning incidents were reported in Punjab. This year, the number has reduced to 811, a 27 per cent decrease in stubble burning incidents in the state," he said.
In Haryana, during the same period, there were 341 incidents last year, that increased to 417 this year, which is a 23 per cent rise, he claimed.
In Uttar Pradesh, last year there were 244 incidents, which increased to 417 this year, showing a massive 70 per cent rise, the AAP leader said.
Shah claimed that since the AAP came into power in Punjab, a consistent reduction in stubble burning has been achieved from 71,300 incidents in 2021 to 36,600 in 2023, terming it the party's "success" in the state.
This was a 50 per cent reduction in just two years under CM Bhagwant Mann's rule in Punjab, he added.
Only the AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab "are working day and night" on the issue of pollution, while the BJP governments in Haryana, UP, or at the Centre are "doing nothing", Shah charged.