AAP protests outside Delhi Secretariat over air pollution; leaders detained

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday held a protest outside the Delhi Secretariat over air pollution in the capital, during which several party leaders were detained by the police.Led by AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, party MLAs and leaders beat thalis and spoons and raised slogans, including “Pollution, Tumko Jana Padega Bhai,” to highlight their concerns over the pollution situation in Delhi.Explaining the protest, Bharadwaj said the demonstration was meant to draw attention to the issue. He said the act of beating thalis and spoons was symbolic and aimed at alerting the government.

“Just as PM Modi had asked people to bang plates to drive away coronavirus, they too banged plates to say that pollution must leave,” he said.

Bharadwaj said the BJP government should work on reducing pollution levels and address the issue on the ground. He alleged manipulation at AQI monitoring centres, claiming that water was being sprayed at monitoring stations and that new stations were being installed in forest areas.

He also said construction work was continuing across the city.He questioned BJP Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa over a proposal related to artificial rain, asking, “Our question to BJP minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa is this: he had spoken about conducting artificial rain, but till now, where is it?”Referring to pollution control measures, Bharadwaj said pollution rises in December due to scientific reasons and cited the Graded Response Action Plan rules framed by the Supreme Court.

He alleged that instead of implementing GRAP measures, AQI data was being manipulated. “The entire Delhi is crying out due to pollution, but even GRAP restrictions are not being implemented,” he said.Bharadwaj also spoke about the impact of pollution on residents, especially children and the elderly. “For children and the elderly, this is nothing less than a medical emergency. Hospitals are full of patients,” he said.Earlier in the day, Bharadwaj shared posts on X related to air quality, including a global AQI map. “No drums are being beaten for India anywhere in the world. This image represents a silent massacre in which ordinary citizens of India, and most tragically its children, are dying every day without noise or attention,” he wrote.In another post, he shared a video of an animal affected by pollution and said, “It is deeply disturbing that after children and the elderly, even animals without a voice are now becoming sick due to pollution.”The protest comes amid continued concerns over air quality levels in the national capital.