Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, on Sunday, blamed the AAP government for rise in pollution in the city; he said the ruling party miserably failed to curb the pollution.

Gupta said the people of Delhi are forced to breathe toxic air while the AAP is preoccupied with hollow promises and low-level politics. He pointed out that the situation arising from the pollution has become critical with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) near ITO and Anand Vihar recorded at 361 and 405 in the morning, respectively, falling under the “very poor” and “severe” categories.

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The BJP leader said such levels of polluted air with smog pose a serious health threat to the residents. The AAP government lacks both the will and a concrete plan to improve the situation.

Following the broadcast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday, Gupta addressed a public meeting in the slums near Model Town saying whether it is the rising air pollution, the pollution in Yamuna, broken roads, healthcare services, or the public transport system, each issue highlights the Delhi government’s failure.

Gupta accused the AAP of deceiving people over the past ten years by making false promises in the name of development, and engaging in massive corruption, he alleged.

Gupta claimed that Delhi’s air pollution has reached the point that school-going children are beginning to fall sick, which has resulted in a drop in school attendance.

He added that the children who are going to school are compelled to wear masks, and despite such an alarming situation, the Delhi government remains inactive, merely implementing anti-pollution norms for the namesake.

Gupta alleged that the AAP government is neither controlling smoke from stubble burning nor is it reducing dust on the roads.

He added that due to the absence of a Standing Committee in the Municipal Corporation, the civic body is also failing in combating pollution.

Taking a dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, the Leader of the Opposition stated that by repeatedly making false promises to clean the Yamuna, Kejriwal has misused crores from the Delhi government’s treasury, and the Yamuna remains as polluted as ever.

Every year, the promise to allow people to take a dip in the Yamuna has turned out to be empty, claimed Gupta.

The BJP leader further said that the water of the Yamuna has become so toxic that recently, the saffron party’s state unit chief Virendra Sachdeva who attempted to highlight the issue by taking a dip in the Yamuna, had to be hospitalized for skin diseases.

According to media reports, the samples of Yamuna’s water have revealed carcinogenic elements, said Gupta, adding that the ammonia level in the river’s water has reached a dangerous level.

He said festivals like Diwali, Bhai Dooj, and Chhath are around the corner while Delhi is besieged by multiple problems due to the government’s wrong policies, forcing the people to endure hardship and live in a miserable state due to the government’s incompetence.