Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday urged the government to hold a detailed discussion in Parliament on Delhi’s worsening air pollution, calling it a “health emergency” and questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the crisis.Gandhi said the Centre must introduce a strict and enforceable action plan to tackle toxic air levels and asked why the government was showing “no urgency or accountability”. He also met a group of mothers at his residence over concerns about pollution and shared a video of the interaction.
“Every mother I meet tells me the same thing: her child is growing up breathing toxic air. They are exhausted, scared and angry. Modi ji, India’s children are choking in front of us. How can you stay silent? Why does your government show no urgency, no plan, no accountability?” he wrote on X.“India needs an immediate, detailed Parliament debate on air pollution and a strict, enforceable action plan to tackle this health emergency,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, adding, “Our children deserve clean air – not excuses and distractions.”Delhi has been battling very poor air quality for the past 15 days, with forecasts by the Air Quality Early Warning System suggesting conditions will remain in the ‘very poor’ range in the coming week. As pollution levels plummet into the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories, doctors have advised regular health screening to detect early signs of pollution-linked illnesses, especially among vulnerable groups such as children, smokers, asthma patients and those with respiratory or cardiac issues. Experts say toxic air can trigger airway inflammation, reduce lung function and worsen existing diseases.