While Kejriwal presses for stopping of stubble burning, his own MLA sets field on fire in Punjab

As AAP leadership in Delhi is raising concern over alarming rise in air pollution levels, its party members is burning fields in Punjab

While Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is seeking an urgent meeting with his counterparts in Punjab and Haryana to address the alarming rise in pollution levels in the national capital, his party legislator was caught on camera burning stubble in the name of supporting farmers.

Kejriwal, who likened the situation in Delhi to that of a gas chamber, has alleged that the neighbouring states had failed to provide farmers with viable alternatives to stubble burning – a process wherein the leftover crops are burnt in order to make way for Rabi crops. The crop burning is a major contributing factor to air pollution in Delhi. However, the latest video showing Khaira with a group of AAP supporters encouraging farmers to burn stubble may leave the party red-faced.

Khaira, who is also the leader of opposition in Punjab assembly, led a farmers’ protest in Samrala in Ludhiana on October 15 and burnt paddy stubble. The AAP leader can be seen lighting paddy stubble in the presence of party workers carrying flags with Kejriwal’s photograph.

The AAP leader had lambasted the Congress government for its move to register FIRs against farmers burning stubble.

He said,

The government should not harass the farmers until the state government makes alternative arrangements for the consumption of paddy straw into the soil as per the directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Earlier, Kejriwal took to Twitter to announce that the Delhi government was seeking an urgent meeting with CMs of Punjab and Haryana to tackle the issue.

Replying to Delhi CM’s tweet, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that he shared the concern over stubble burning and pollution but it was not a matter for inter-state discussion. Amarinder Singh replied to Kejriwal in a series of tweets,

Share your concern over stubble burning and pollution, Centre alone can solve the problem given its national implications. Situation is serious but Punjab helpless as problem is widespread & state has no money to compensate farmers for stubble management.

The Delhi chief minister agreed that Centre needed to take the lead on the issue but requested Punjab Chief Minister to grant him time to discuss.

The pollution levels in the capital have become quite worse over the last few days with the air quality being worse than that of Beijing.

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