The air in Parliament grew thicker with political smog today when AAP MPs executed a coordinated walkout, decrying the Modi government’s ‘criminal apathy’ toward Delhi’s air pollution apocalypse. What started as question hour devolved into uproar, with opposition voices amplifying a crisis that has turned the national capital into a gas chamber.
Key AAP voices hammered home statistics: over 10,000 daily farm fires raging in NCR vicinities, vehicular emissions unchecked despite BS-VI fuels, and thermal plants operating sans flue-gas desulphurization. ‘This is ecocide by policy paralysis,’ declared Atishi Marlena, echoing party chief Kejriwal’s longstanding crusade. Ministers countered with data on 11,000 electric vehicles added last month and afforestation drives covering lakhs of hectares, but AAP dismissed these as ‘cosmetic fixes.’
The exodus from the House was theatrical—banners unfurled reading ‘Save Delhi from Toxic Air’—disrupting legislative business and drawing sharp rebukes from the Chair. This comes weeks after Supreme Court lambasted authorities for lax enforcement, ordering daily AQI reviews. Independent monitors peg Delhi’s pollution death toll at 50,000 annually, fueling AAP’s aggressive offensive.
Broader context reveals systemic failures: urban planning deficits, waste burning ubiquity, and inter-state blame games stalling progress. AAP’s strategy leverages public anger, evident in viral videos of school closures and flight delays due to zero visibility. As winter looms, forecasts predict AQI dips below 100 only sporadically, prolonging misery.
Such parliamentary theatrics have historically spurred urgency, from 2015’s emergency measures to recent bio-decomposer trials for stubble. With AAP eyeing a hat-trick in Delhi polls, today’s walkout isn’t mere posturing—it’s a calculated escalation demanding accountability. The ball’s now in the government’s court to deliver cleaner skies or risk electoral asphyxiation.