Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of allowing and facilitating stubble burning while spending Rs 20-25 crore on advertisements claiming that no farm fires were taking place in the state. He alleged that the government was then registering FIRs against farmers for stubble burning, even as it publicly denied the practice.He also questioned the appointment of former AAP spokesperson Reena Gupta as chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, alleging that the move was aimed at manipulating pollution data.Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Sirsa claimed that Punjab had recorded more than 1,000 incidents of stubble burning and alleged that the state government was trying to conceal the extent of the problem through publicity campaigns.“Advertisements worth Rs 20-25 crore were released to claim that stubble burning was not taking place in Punjab this year. On the other hand, I am handing over copies of all the FIRs, district-wise, to you. These are all FIRs registered in connection with stubble burning,” he said, displaying documents that he claimed contained details of the cases, further alleging that “Punjab Police and Punjab government officers are facilitating the burning of stubble.”Taking aim at AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Sirsa alleged that the party had brought its political spokesperson from Delhi to head the Punjab Pollution Control Board to influence the reporting of pollution data.
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“For the first time in Punjab’s history, a non-Punjabi, non-IAS, non-technical person has been appointed to such a position. They have appointed their political spokesperson, who is said to be a close relative of Arvind Kejriwal, as the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board after bringing her from Delhi,” Sirsa said.He identified the appointee as Reena Gupta, alleging that she was being projected as the face of the campaign to deny the scale of stubble burning in Punjab. Sirsa claimed the appointment was intended to “conceal the truth by fudging data”.Sirsa sought to contrast Punjab’s situation with Delhi’s air quality, claiming that the national capital had recorded 220 clean-air days in 2026, the highest in a decade. He also said October was the cleanest in the past 10 years and that the average air quality index (AQI) had improved by 10 per cent compared with previous years.Appealing to Kejriwal and AAP leader Manish Sisodia not to undermine Delhi’s efforts to improve air quality, Sirsa said, “By setting fires in Punjab, you are once again causing the situation in Delhi to deteriorate.”
