NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday targeted the BJP-led government at the Centre over rising air pollution in Delhi, asking why the national capital was becoming a “Vishwaguru” in pollution.In a post on X, Kharge said that clean air is a fundamental right, not a privilege to be granted by the Government.“Why are we becoming a ‘Vishwaguru’ in air pollution? Piecemeal measures, PR stunts, broken promises and blame games have become the hallmark of the BJP,” he said.Delhi has been witnessing deteriorating air quality following Diwali, with pollution from multiple sources, including stubble burning in neighbouring states, adding to the crisis.
Kharge on X
Kharge flags missing PM2.5 readings at 36 monitoring stations
The Congress chief alleged that discrepancies in air quality monitoring had raised further questions over the government’s handling of pollution.Referring to last year’s allegations of water tankers spraying water around air quality monitoring stations to bring down recorded pollution levels, Kharge claimed that this year PM2.5 readings had disappeared from 36 of Delhi’s 59 monitoring stations as pollution peaked.He accused the Modi government of failing to address the problem despite identifying air pollution as a major challenge in 2019.
Kharge cites pollution-linked deaths, unspent funds
The Congress president also cited estimates of deaths linked to air pollution to underline the scale of the public health crisis.According to figures cited in his post, an estimated 17,188 deaths in Delhi in 2023 were attributable to particulate air pollution, accounting for nearly 15% of all deaths, based on Global Burden of Disease and Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates.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 further questioned the utilisation of funds earmarked for tackling pollution in Delhi.Citing a September 2026 RTI response, he said Rs 1,154 crore, nearly 60% of Delhi’s environmental compensation collections, remained unspent. He also claimed that the city had utilised only 17% of the National Clean Air Programme funds released up to December 2025.
Kharge invokes Supreme Court deadline for states
Kharge also pointed to the Supreme Court’s direction to BJP-ruled Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to submit detailed responses and proposed measures to tackle the pollution crisis within two weeks.
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He said the same pattern of toxic air, assurances and blame-shifting returned every year, particularly between October and February.“Year after year, particularly from October to February, the same toxic haze returns, accompanied by the same assurances and the same finger-pointing. Spend the funds. Cut emissions. Enforce the rules,” he said.Kharge ended his post by challenging the Prime Minister to account for the government’s efforts to improve air quality.“Will Modi ji dare to give the nation ‘Hawa Ka Hisaab’?” he asked.