‘National emergency’: Rahul Gandhi on North India’s air pollution crisis

Amid the ongoing tug-of-war between the BJP-led central government and the AAP government in Delhi over the worsening air pollution crisis, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi has called for a united national response to tackle what he described as a “national emergency”.

In a video conversation with environmentalist Vimalendu Jha, Gandhi — without naming either the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Aam Aadmi Party — emphasised that the gravity of the pollution crisis demands urgent, collective action rather than political blame games.

Sharing his personal experience, Gandhi revealed, “My eyes are burning due to pollution.”

Taking to X, Gandhi highlighted the devastating impact of air pollution on the most vulnerable sections of society.

‘The poorest among us suffer the most, unable to escape the toxic air that surrounds them. Families are gasping for clean air, children are falling sick and millions of lives are being cut short. Tourism is declining and our global reputation is crumbling,’ he wrote in the post accompanying the video.

He further stressed the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to address the crisis. ‘The cloud of pollution covers hundreds of kilometres. Cleaning it up will require major changes and decisive action—from governments, companies, experts and citizens. We need a collective national response, not political blame games,’ he wrote.

Gandhi’s comments come just days before the start of the winter session of Parliament.

“As Parliament meets, MPs will all be reminded of the crisis by our irritated eyes and sore throats. It is our responsibility to come together and discuss how India can end this crisis once and for all,” he said.

The ruling BJP has faced severe criticism for its lack of a cohesive national policy on air pollution, while the AAP’s measures in Delhi, such as the odd–even scheme and the smog towers, have been deemed insufficient by experts.

The Congress leader’s call to action marks a significant moment in the debate over India’s environmental challenges, believe political watchers, as the air quality in North India continues to deteriorate.

With a drop in the minimum temperature to 11.3 degrees Celsius on Friday, 22 November, the air quality has remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 373 as an average of the NCR’s various stations. However, of the 38 monitoring stations across the city, 9 are still recording AQI levels in the ‘severe’ range despite over a week of GRAP-IV measures being in effect.

The Supreme Court, which has taken suo moto cognisance of the crisis, had earlier upbraided the Delhi government for its slow implementation of GRAP and directed that GRAP-IV should not be rolled back until the apex court offers say-so.