Scindia digs up Kejriwal's statements on stubble burning, says 'then do it'

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday took a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his past statements regarding the stubble burning leading to pollution in the national capital.

This comes after Delhi woke up to the air quality falling in the 'severe' category for the second consecutive day. According to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research), the stubble-burning contributed 34 per cent to Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution.

Taking a jibe at the Delhi CM who has been vocal about the stubble burning and was seen blaming the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab (now ruled by AAP) in the past, Scindia shared a compiled video of Kejriwal's statements that he made in the past on the issue, and said, "Then do it!!! Expert in talks, slow in work."

In the first of the compiled clips shared by the Union Minister, Kejriwal is heard saying that the Delhi government has found a biochemical solution in collaboration with the Pusa research institute in the national capital.

"The stubble converts into manure after sprinkling the solution on it. It is a win-win situation. It is very cheap. The Delhi government has sprinkled it in all the farms of the national capital. Punjab, UP, and Haryana governments can also do it. Why aren't they doing it?" Kejriwal said.

In the second clip, Kejriwal is heard stating the setting up of factories in Punjab that make coals and electricity using stubble.

"Just imagine if we set up factories in the entire Punjab that make coals and electricity using stubble. The farmers would not need to burn the stubble once they get it at the rate of Rs 1,000 per acre. The factory workers will themselves come to take your stubble. You will not be charged for anything," he said.

The Delhi CM, in another clip, is heard demanding timelines from the state and the Central governments regarding stopping the stubble burning.

"We want specific timelines from the Captain government, Khattar government and the Centre. Tell us when are you going to make the stubble-burning stop," he said.

Kejriwal, in the last clip, said, "I have met many people in Punjab. There are some factories which are making coals from stubble. NTPC is ready to buy all the coal. Why does the Punjab government not promote it? Why would the farmers burn the stubble if they get money for stubble?"

The air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the 'severe' category on Friday morning as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city jumped to 472. Noida, which is part of the national capital region, recorded an AQI of 562, and continued to remain in the 'severe' category, while Gurugram's AQI stood at 539 and continued to remain in the 'severe', as per data released by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) India.

Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 too 500 or above it is considered as severe.

People of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday woke up with complaints of choking and 'eye burning' due to smog and air pollution leaving people gasping for breath.North Delhi Air Quality recorded the poorest as almost all the stations in the region displayed AQI above 400.

Most of the stations in the capital have an AQI above 300 with the exceptions of a few like Mandir Marg in central Delhi.