Rare consensus in Lok Sabha: Rahul Gandhi pushes for debate on air pollution; government agrees

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday called for an urgent, cross-party debate on the country’s worsening air pollution. The central government signaled its readiness to hold the discussion.

"Most of our major cities are living under a blanket of poisonous air. Millions of children are getting lung disease. Their future is being destroyed. People are getting cancer. Older people are struggling to breathe. This is an interesting issue because I'm certain that there will be full agreement between the government and us on this issue. This is not an ideological issue. Everybody in this house would agree that air pollution, the damage it is doing to our people, is something that we would like to cooperate on," the Congress MP said.


"I think a good idea would be that we frame the discussion not on us saying what you have not done and not on you saying what we have not done, but simply saying that what are we going to do for the people in India in the future, what are the action steps that we need to take. So I would say that it would be an interesting experiment to see if instead of you blaming us and we blaming you, we can try and say on this one issue where we agree, there's no disagreement, there we say, listen, let us just talk about the future of people of India," he added.


Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was willing to hold a discussion on the matter and that the Lok Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee can schedule time for it.

Later, in a post on X, Rahul called the air pollution a "national catastrophe" which he termed more of a "bipartisan responsibility" than a "political issue".

"Air pollution has become a national catastrophe that demands a comprehensive and immediate national action plan. This is not a political issue but a bipartisan responsibility, for which we are ready to work with the PM to combat it, solve it and protect the future of our people," he said.

"Air pollution has become a national disaster, against which there is a need for an immediate, comprehensive and decisive national plan. This is not a political issue but everyone's responsibility, for whose control, solution and protection of the future of our people we are ready to work together with the Prime Minister," he added.


Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed agreement with Rahul saying, “I completely agree, and I think everyone agrees. The government has also said that we should all discuss this and create an action plan. It has gone on for too long, and the situation is worsening every year.”


This comes as World Bank approved nearly $600m funding for two major clean-air initiatives in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana aimed at improving air quality and boosting the states’ appeal as business hubs.

"Air pollution is causing severe health impacts, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life across South Asia," said Paul Procee, Acting Country Director, World Bank India.

"The programs will also demonstrate how air quality initiatives can increase productivity and create green jobs, especially for youth and women,” he added.

Delhi continues to grapple with severe air pollution as a thick layer of smog settled over the city on Friday, pushing the Air Quality Index (AQI) to 332—firmly within the ‘very poor’ category. Pollution levels remained consistently high across the national capital, with 30 monitoring stations recording ‘very poor’ air quality. Conditions were even more alarming in Jahangirpuri, where the AQI touched 405, entering the ‘severe’ zone.

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