Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Centre over rising air pollution in north India. He flagged missing PM2.5 data at Delhi stations and questioned the government’s record. Kharge asked, "Why are we becoming a 'Vishwaguru' in air pollution?" He also noted that many pollution control funds remained unspent by authorities.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in several states of failing to address air pollution, questioning the Narendra Modi government's record as toxic air continues to affect large parts of north India.

In a post on social media, Kharge flagged the disappearance of PM2.5 readings from 36 of Delhi's 59 air-quality monitoring stations during a period when pollution levels were high. He also referred to allegations from last year that water tankers had sprayed areas around monitoring stations, raising questions about whether pollution readings were being manipulated.

"Why are we becoming a 'Vishwaguru' in air pollution?" Kharge asked, accusing the BJP of relying on "piecemeal measures, PR stunts, broken promises and blame games".

The Congress chief said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had identified air pollution as a "major challenge" on May 8, 2019, but alleged that little had been done since then to address the problem. He said people across Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan continued to struggle for clean air.

"Will Modi ji dare to give the nation Hawa Ka Hisaab?" Kharge asked, demanding accountability from the government over its pollution-control efforts.

Citing estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Kharge said particulate air pollution was estimated to have contributed to 17,188 deaths in Delhi in 2023, accounting for nearly 15% of all deaths in the national capital.

He also referred to the State of Global Air 2024 report, which estimated that 1,69,400 children under the age of five died from air-pollution-related causes across India in 2021. Kharge said research had linked exposure to PM2.5 to impaired lung development and higher child mortality risks, particularly in northern states.

Questioning the utilisation of funds earmarked for pollution control, he cited a September 2026 RTI response that reportedly showed that Rs 1,154 crore, nearly 60% of Delhi's environmental compensation collections, remained unspent. He further claimed that Delhi had used only 17% of the funds released to it under the National Clean Air Programme up to December 2025.

Kharge's criticism comes amid judicial scrutiny of the pollution situation in north India. The Supreme Court has given the BJP-ruled governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan two weeks to submit detailed responses and proposed measures to tackle the crisis.

The Congress president said the pollution emergency returned every year, particularly between October and February, with assurances and political blame-shifting failing to deliver lasting improvements.

"Spend the funds. Cut emissions. Enforce the rules," he said, adding that clean air was a fundamental right and not a privilege to be granted by the government.