Punjab facilitating farm fires, says Delhi minister as city chokes; AAP hits back

With Delhi becoming a gas chamber and the annual pollution season setting in across North India, the familiar political blame game has also returned. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has accused the AAP government in Punjab of deliberately allowing farmers to burn paddy stubble, while the Punjab government hit back, accusing the BJP government in Delhi of failing to control pollution and attempting to shift the blame onto Punjab's farmers.

The exchange comes as Punjab has recorded 1,612 stubble-burning incidents so far this season, even as Delhi's air quality has slipped into the 'very poor' category.

Sirsa alleged that the Punjab government was deliberately allowing stubble burning despite its impact on air quality in Delhi. He claimed that Punjab Police personnel and government officials were facilitating the practice even as cases were being registered against farmers.

"Everything was going well in Delhi. We reported the cleanest October, and we have achieved several records this year. But in Bathinda, Punjab, the AQI has crossed the 1,100 mark. A Western Disturbance is likely to bring pollution to Delhi," Sirsa said.

Accusing the AAP government of playing a double game, he alleged that the party was encouraging farmers to burn stubble while simultaneously registering cases against them.

"In Punjab, there have been more than 1,000 incidents of stubble burning. Punjab Police and Punjab government officers are facilitating the burning of stubble. The Aam Aadmi Party is, on the one hand, getting farmers to burn stubble and, on the other, having cases registered against them," he said.

Sirsa also questioned the appointment of Punjab Pollution Control Board chairperson Reena Gupta, alleging that she was related to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He further questioned why a person who was not from Punjab had been appointed to the post.

The Delhi minister maintained that his government had recorded 200 clean-air days in the national capital over the past eight months and claimed that the number would increase. He, however, urged the Punjab government to take responsibility for the rising farm fires.

PUNJAB GOVERNMENT ACCUSES BJP OF DEFAMING FARMERS

Rejecting Sirsa's allegations, Punjab Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian accused the BJP of repeatedly targeting Punjab's farmers while failing to address pollution in Delhi.

He said the BJP government in Delhi had failed to provide residents with clean air and clean water, adding that people were now remembering the tenure of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"These allegations about pollution in Punjab, or their repeated hostility towards Punjab, are something we witness every time. Whatever problem the BJP faces in Delhi, they try to drag Punjab into it. There is no truth to these allegations," the minister said.

Mundian also questioned why Punjab was being singled out when stubble burning was reported in other neighbouring regions, including Haryana and Chandigarh. He asked whether farm fires in Haryana and other areas did not contribute to pollution, accusing the BJP of being "allergic to Punjab".

The minister also maintained that Punjab's stubble-burning incidents had declined and questioned the attempt to link the state's farm fires directly to Delhi's pollution.

The AAP's media in-charge, Baltej Pannu, accused Sirsa of making misleading claims to cover up the Delhi government's inability to manage pollution.

"Manjinder Sirsa has blamed Punjab when stubble was not even burning. There were just rains and hail," Pannu alleged.

He also referred to a report discussed in Parliament, claiming that it showed Punjab's stubble burning was not contributing to Delhi's pollution.

Pannu said the Punjab government had spent Rs 800 crore in a single year to tackle stubble burning and claimed that only 2-4 per cent of the problem remained. He expressed confidence that the state would achieve its target of eliminating stubble burning completely by next year.

In a post responding to Sirsa, AAP Punjab said the BJP could "stoop to any level" to defame Punjab's farmers and cover up its government's alleged incompetence.

"BJP can stoop to any level, even lie blatantly, to defame Punjab's farmers and cover up the incompetence of its own government in Delhi," the party said.

"Mr Sirsa, stop manufacturing lies about Punjab's farmers and police and answer why your BJP government has failed miserably in controlling pollution in Delhi despite no stubble burning in Punjab," it added.

PUNJAB RECORDS 1,612 FARM FIRES

Amid the political confrontation, stubble burning continues across several districts of Punjab as the paddy harvesting season progresses.

As of November 2, the state had recorded 1,612 farm-fire incidents. Tarn Taran accounted for the largest share, with 489 incidents, nearly one-third of the total. Ferozepur followed with 193 incidents, while Sangrur reported 76. Moga was also among the districts witnessing farm fires as harvesting progressed in the Malwa region.

The incidents come at a time when Delhi's air quality has deteriorated sharply. The national capital's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 331, placing it in the 'very poor' category. Noida recorded an AQI of 310.

Several locations in Delhi have reported even worse readings. Rohini recorded an AQI of 427, Punjabi Bagh 425 and Mundka 396, with the first two falling in the 'severe' category.

The pollution challenge has also extended beyond the Indian border, with Pakistani Punjab recording around 13,241 fire detections. Approximately 92 per cent of these detections were on agricultural land and linked to crop burning, with hotspots concentrated in districts around Lahore, including Okara, Gujranwala and Nankana Sahib.