Delhis clean-air gains under threat? Sirsa accuses Punjab AAP of deliberate stubble burning, cites 271 FIRs

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of facilitating stubble burning while registering cases against farmers, alleging that the practice was worsening pollution in Punjab and threatening the national capital’s efforts to improve air quality.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Sirsa claimed that Punjab Police records exposed a contradiction in the state government’s approach to farm fires.

He cited 271 FIRs registered in Tarn Taran between October 24 and 31, of which 189, or around 70 per cent, were against farmers for stubble burning.

The minister also accused AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of taking the pollution crisis from Delhi to Punjab, alleging that the state had witnessed exceptionally high Air Quality Index (AQI) readings.

Sirsa cites Punjab’s farm-fire data

According to Sirsa, Tarn Taran police registered 90 FIRs over stubble burning on October 28 alone, while Punjab’s official count for the entire state recorded 96 farm fires that day.

He also cited Government of India satellite monitoring data from ICAR-IARI, which recorded 933 farm fires in Punjab between October 26 and November 1, 2026, averaging 133 incidents a day.

On Sunday, Punjab recorded 175 farm fires, compared with seven in Haryana and none in Uttar Pradesh or Delhi, the minister said.

“The farmer asked for machines and support. AAP’s Punjab Government gave him FIRs,” Sirsa said, adding that Punjab’s farmers needed machinery and assistance rather than criminal cases.

He also alleged that Punjab Police and government officials were facilitating stubble burning, accusing the AAP government of encouraging the practice while taking action against farmers.

Delhi’s clean-air record and Punjab’s pollution

Sirsa said Delhi had recorded 220 days in the Good, Satisfactory or Moderate air-quality categories in 2026 up to Monday, surpassing the full-year totals of 209 days in 2024 and 200 in 2025.

He described October 2026 as Delhi’s cleanest October in over a decade and claimed that the national capital’s average AQI had improved by 10 per cent compared with previous years.

The minister also cited pollution readings from Punjab, claiming that Bathinda’s AQI had reached 1,100, while Barnala recorded 1,244, Talwandi Sabo 1,036, Malout 960, Abohar 885, Jalandhar 690, Ludhiana 560 and Gurdaspur 528.

Sirsa alleged that pollution generated in Punjab could drift towards Delhi due to western disturbances, worsening air quality in the national capital.

#WATCH | Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, "I request Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia not to ruin Delhi. Delhi, which you spent 10 years ruining, is now beginning to recover—please do not ruin it again. More than 13,000 charging stations have been installed in Delhi. People in Delhi are purchasing EV (electric) vehicles. We, the people of Delhi, are fighting against pollution every single day. The people of Delhi are very good; please do not cause them any trouble. By setting fires in Punjab, you are once again causing the situation in Delhi to deteriorate."

— ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2026

Reena Gupta’s appointment questioned

Sirsa also questioned the appointment of Reena Gupta, AAP’s Delhi spokesperson and a relative of Kejriwal, as chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board.

He alleged that the appointment was intended to manipulate pollution data and conceal the actual situation in Punjab. Sirsa claimed that environmental scientists, senior IAS officers and technical experts had previously held the position.

The minister further alleged that Punjab had failed to provide utilisation certificates for funds released under the Centre’s Crop Residue Management scheme.

The Centre released ₹2,056.50 crore to Punjab between 2018-19 and 2025-26, while ₹430.87 crore of the ₹592.57 crore earmarked for 2026-27 had already been released, he said.

“Punjab’s farmers need machines, not FIRs. Delhi needs clean air, not AAP’s revenge,” he added while appealing to Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia not to undermine Delhi’s efforts to combat pollution, saying the city had installed more than 13,000 charging stations and residents were increasingly purchasing electric vehicles.

(with ANI inputs)