New Delhi: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday pressed for an urgent and detailed debate in Parliament on India’s deteriorating air quality, describing it as a national public health crisis that demanded unity across political parties. The government indicated it was prepared to accommodate the request.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded by signalling that the government was open to the proposal. He said that the matter had already been raised in the Business Advisory Committee and that the government had, from the outset of the session, expressed its willingness to discuss pressing national concerns.
Several Indian cities shrouded in toxic air: Rahul Gandhi
Speaking during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition said that several of India’s largest cities were now shrouded in toxic air and that the scale of the problem had become impossible to ignore. He warned that the health of millions was already being severely affected.
“Most of our major cities are living under a blanket of poisonous air. Millions of children are getting lung disease. Their future is being destroyed. People are getting cancer. Older people are struggling to breathe. This is an interesting issue because I am certain that there will be full agreement between the government and us on this issue,” Gandhi said.
The Congress MP emphasised that air pollution was one of the few subjects on which the entire House could find complete agreement. He stressed that it transcended ideology and called on the government to demonstrate its commitment by allowing a structured debate followed by tangible action.
‘Not an ideological issue,’ Kiren Rijiju responds to Rahul Gandhi
“This is not an ideological issue,” he stated, pointing out that both sides of the aisle carried an equal responsibility to respond. He urged the Treasury Bench to take the lead by ensuring that Parliament held a thorough discussion and adopted meaningful measures to protect public health.
Responding to LoP Rahul Gandhi’s suggestion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “the issue raised by Rahul Gandhi was also brought to notice in the Business Advisory Committee. From Day 1, the government has made it clear that it is ready to discuss all important matters and find solutions, taking along suggestions from the Opposition. We will see how we can take up this discussion. We will come back and let us see how we can structure this discussion. We are ready to take up this matter,” he said.