A view of Kartavya Trail and India Gate engulfed in thick smog as New Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded ‘Very Poor’ at 346 on Saturday. | Photo credit: ANI
New Delhi
Calling the capital’s air pollution a “slow poison” that is making the city “unlivable”, the Congress on Saturday urged the Center to treat the crisis as a “national problem”, convened urgent cross-party consultations and set up an MP-level committee to suggest a long-term solution.
Congress leader and former East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit told a press conference at the All India Congress Committee headquarters that doctors warned that Delhi’s toxic air was reducing life expectancy by six to seven years and putting vulnerable patients at increased risk.
Mr Dikshit also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for engaging in what he described as competitive populism, adding that there was “plenty of time” for such politics closer to the elections.
“The government should control pollution and if they are unable to do that, they have no right to be called the government,” said Mr. Dikshit. “All I have to say is this: stop lying to the public because this city is no longer livable because of air pollution.”
He dismissed stubble burning and Diwali firecrackers as minor contributors, saying, “Only a small part of air pollution comes from burning stubble and firecrackers during Diwali… The main cause of air pollution is vehicular pollution, which continues throughout the year. It accounts for about 35 percent.”
He accused successive BJP and AAP governments of allowing road infrastructure to deteriorate and public transport to “collapse”. “When Delhi was developing, the average traffic speed was 35 to 40 kilometers per hour. Today, due to the government’s failure, the traffic speed has slowed down… vehicular pollution levels have increased two-and-a-half times,” he claimed.
Mr. Dikshit also criticized illegal industries running on “dirty fuel” with the “condescension of the MCD, police and politicians”, burning garbage across the city and scrapping waste-to-energy projects. “Many years ago, a ‘waste to power plant’ technology was introduced, but Arvind Kejriwal falsely claimed that its smoke caused cancer, after which the plan was trashed,” he said.
Targeting populist spending, he said: “Money should be invested in road infrastructure, the bus system and the subway. You will have plenty of time for populist politics. If governments spend all their resources on providing free things, there will be no funding for basic facilities.”
Following Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi’s call for a detailed parliamentary debate, he added: “This is a national issue… I would request that they form a committee, probably at MP level, and take all parties into it.” Mr. Dikshit also appealed to the Delhi Governor “to bring the people together and make it a people’s movement”.
Mr Gandhi, who on Friday met with mothers concerned about the health of their children, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” on what he called a “health emergency” and sought a “rigorous and enforceable plan of action”.
Published – 29 Nov 2025 21:29 IST
