Rahul questions PM Modi's silence on issue of air pollution in national capital
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded a detailed discussion in Parliament on the issue of air pollution in the national capital as he questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this "health emergency".
He also demanded a strict, enforceable action plan to tackle air pollution and asked why the Modi government was not showing any urgency or accountability on the issue.
Gandhi met a few mothers at his residence on the issue and shared a video of his conversation with them.
"Every mother I meet tells me the same thing: her child is growing up breathing toxic air. They are exhausted, scared and angry.
"Modi ji, India's children are choking in front of us. How can you stay silent? Why does your government show no urgency, no plan, no accountability?" he asked in a post on X.
"India needs an immediate, detailed Parliament debate on air pollution and a strict, enforceable action plan to tackle this health emergency," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"Our children deserve clean air - not excuses and distractions," he asserted.
Delhi has been battling very poor air quality from the past 15 days.
According to the forecast by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain 'very poor' over the coming week.
With Delhi's air quality slipping deep into the 'very poor' and 'severe' categories this winter, doctors have stressed the need for regular diagnostic screening to detect early signs of pollution-linked health deterioration, especially among smokers, asthma patients, children and people with pre-existing cardiac or respiratory conditions.
Experts said preventive health checks are becoming increasingly important as toxic air triggers airway inflammation, reduces lung function and aggravates underlying diseases.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
