Rahul Gandhi Urges Parliamentary Debate on Air Pollution With Action Plan

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday raised urgent concerns over the worsening air pollution in northern India and other parts of the country, calling for a parliamentary discussion to develop a systematic plan to address the crisis. Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju assured Gandhi that the government is open to discussion and invited suggestions from MPs across party lines.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi highlighted the public health impact of rising pollution levels, particularly on children. “Most of our major cities are living under a blanket of poisonous air. Millions of children are getting lung diseases. Their future is being destroyed. People are getting cancer. Older people are struggling to breathe,” he said. Gandhi emphasized that tackling air pollution is not an ideological issue and urged collaborative action to develop city-specific plans over the next five to ten years.

He further proposed that the discussion should focus on expert-driven solutions rather than a blame game. “We should show the country that on this fundamental issue, there is agreement, and the best minds are working to solve it,” Gandhi said outside Parliament, stressing that the health of future generations is at stake.

Responding in the House, Union Minister Rijiju assured MPs that the government is ready to discuss the issue and consider inputs from all members, including the principal opposition. “From day one, the government has made it clear that on all important matters, we are ready to discuss and find solutions,” Rijiju said.

Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Deepender Hooda supported the call for parliamentary debate. Priyanka Gandhi stressed the urgency of a coordinated national response, noting that pollution levels are rising annually and require a concrete action plan. Hooda criticized the Centre for inadequate allocation of funds to tackle pollution, pointing out that only 1% of the allocated budget for industrial pollution has been spent.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also welcomed the discussion, emphasizing that residents of Delhi feel as if they are “breathing poisonous air every day” and stressed the need for a comprehensive, solution-oriented debate instead of political point-scoring.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas has constituted an Expert Committee under IIT Madras Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala to address vehicular emissions and related air pollution challenges.

The call for discussion comes amid rising public concern over deteriorating air quality, with Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 349 in the ‘very poor’ category. The parliamentary debate is expected to focus on creating actionable, city-specific strategies to mitigate pollution, combining government action with expert inputs.

In other proceedings, Lok Sabha also witnessed discussions on supplementary demands for grants. Congress MP Deepender Hooda questioned Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the IMF’s recent assessment of India’s national accounts, which had received a Grade ‘C’ due to outdated base-year data. Sitharaman clarified that the base year will be updated to 2022-23 next year and highlighted India’s strong performance in inflation, government finance, and external sector indicators.

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