New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders over the appointment of the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), alleging that the party's politics was based on lies and deceit.He also accused the Punjab government of failing to check stubble burning, claiming that incidents in the state were contributing to pollution in Delhi.Addressing a press conference, Sirsa questioned the appointment of a non-Punjabi and non-technical person to head the Punjab Pollution Control Board. He alleged that the appointee was a political spokesperson from Delhi with close family ties to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal."I want to expose the real face of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose entire operation is based on lies and fraud. In the 75 years since Independence, no non-Punjabi, non-IAS and non-technical person has been appointed to this position. They brought their political spokesperson from Delhi, who is said to be a close relative of Arvind Kejriwal, and appointed her as the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board," Sirsa alleged.He questioned the AAP government's decision to appoint the person to the key position and raised concerns over the party's functioning in Punjab.

During the press conference, Sirsa also highlighted the improvement in Delhi's air quality, crediting the initiatives taken by the government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. He claimed that Delhi had recorded 220 clean-air days this year, the highest number in the past decade.According to Sirsa, October 2026 was the cleanest October in Delhi in the last 10 years, while the average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded this year was also the lowest during the same period."I also want to tell the people of Delhi that over the past decade, the Delhi government under Rekha Gupta, along with the people of Delhi, has achieved a lot. Delhi recorded 220 clean-air days this year, the highest in the past decade. October 2026 was also the cleanest October in the last decade. The average AQI recorded this year was the lowest in the past decade, with a 10 per cent improvement compared with previous years. The annual average AQI was also lower this year," he said.

Sirsa, however, alleged that stubble burning in Punjab was affecting Delhi's air quality. He claimed that more than 1,000 incidents of stubble burning had been reported in Punjab and questioned the role of the state government and police in preventing the practice.He further alleged that Punjab Police personnel and government officials were facilitating stubble burning at certain locations, while farmers were also facing action for the same practice."In Punjab, there have been more than 1,000 incidents of stubble burning. Punjab Police and government officers are facilitating the burning of stubble. The Aam Aadmi Party is, on the one hand, getting farmers to burn stubble and, on the other hand, registering cases against them," he alleged.The minister also appealed to Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia to refrain from actions that, according to him, could worsen pollution in the national Capital.Sirsa said that the previous AAP government had been in power in Delhi for 10 years and alleged that the city was now making efforts to recover from the pollution-related challenges it had faced during that period.

"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 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," he said.According to data released by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) via a Right to Information (RTI) response, 345 stubble burning cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh between September 15 and October 29 and 29 stubble-burning cases were reported in Haryana this year.

/IANS