An Indian lawmaker has blamed Delhi’s air pollution problem on Pakistan and China. Meerut BJP leader Vineet Agarwal Sharda accused “neighboring” countries that are “afraid” of India of releasing poisonous gas into the air.
Poisonous gas accusations
According to RT and India Today, Sharda said Pakistan and China are the two countries that are most likely to have released poisonous gas in the air in Delhi. He gold ANI that he believes Pakistan or China could be afraid of India.
Additionally, he said India should “seriously consider” if Islamabad released poisonous gas, claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi intimidates Pakistan. He even made a chilling statement about war, saying that India has never lost to its neighbor in a major armed conflict. Sharda believes Pakistan has been especially frustrated with India since Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been in charge and that Islamabad is trying different tactics because it couldn’t win a battle against India. He even referred to Modi and Shah as Krishna and Arjuna, respectively, from Mahabharata, saying they can solve many problems.
Farm fires blamed for pollution
Other government officials have blamed factory and agriculture emissions for the toxic air pollution in Delhi. Sharda called out Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for blaming burning stubble in Punjab and Haryana for the dangerous air pollution in and around Delhi. He described farmers as “the backbone of our country,” adding that “farmers and industries should not be blamed.”
The Guardian cites illegal farm fires as one of the main causes of the record-breaking pollution in and around Delhi over the last week. The fires will likely continue for two more weeks even though the Indian supreme court has ordered that they be stopped.
The recent air pollution has been the worst for Delhi since officials began keeping public records. The city and surrounding areas have been struck by “severe” pollution levels for nine consecutive days. As a result, officials declared a public health emergency. Sunday was the worst pollution day for the region in three years. Air quality monitors measured toxic particle concentrations at 50 times the World Health Organization’s recommended level.
