'Can he really be IIT-graduate?': Punjab-CM on Kejriwal's stubble-burning claims
What's the story
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today termed his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal's claim that stubble burning in Punjab was solely responsible for the high pollution levels in the national capital as "nonsense," and wondered can the AAP leader "really" be an IIT graduate.
Singh presented certain figures to counter-attack Kejriwal's claims and asked him to check facts before blaming Punjab.
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Counter-attack
Even school kid knows better than Kejriwal: Amarinder Singh
Taking a dig at Kejriwal for his "preposterous" logic that the satellite pictures of stubble burning in Punjab was proof of it being the primary cause of pollution, Singh said even a school kid would know better.
He said the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi remains more than 300 in winters every year even when there is no stubble-burning in the neighboring states.
Air Quality
Delhi's air quality impacted by its own sources, says Singh
Singh further said, "This clearly indicates that the national capital's air quality is impacted by its own sources, which are predominantly vehicular emission, construction activities, and burning of municipal solid waste."
He also termed Kejriwal's comment as yet another attempt by the Delhi Chief Minister to divert public attention for his own government's "abysmal failure on all counts".
Blaming Delhi
Due to changed wind-direction, stubble-burning hardly affecting Delhi: Punjab CM
Singh also said according to the latest report on air pollution by the India Meteorological Department, winds over Delhi-NCR had changed from north-westerly to easterly, so there was hardly any influence from stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
"Yet, the air quality of Delhi continued to be 'very poor', mainly caused by the local vehicular and industrial emissions," he claimed.
Data
Amarinder Singh presents data comparing stubble-burning with pollution level
In particular, Delhi's AQI crosses the 400 mark due to high emissions from activities of a large population in a confined area of NCR and inversion phenomenon of the climate.
During October, the wind velocity became static and decreased to less than 2km/hr, Singh said.
He asserted that had stubble burning been the reason for pollution, then it should have impacted Punjab first.
Warning
'Kejriwal must see Punjab people's reaction in next LS elections'
The data clearly indicated that Arvind Kejriwal's government had "failed"completely in addressing the problem of pollution in the national capital, Singh said, adding the Delhi Chief Minister was, "quite obviously, hunting for scapegoats to put the blame for his own failures".
He said Punjab people will not take Kejriwal's baseless claims politely.
"He should see this in next Lok Sabha elections," Singh further said.