‘Pollution on, Kejriwal gone’: Congress demands CM’s resignation over Delhi air quality

The air quality remained in the ‘severe’ zone in Delhi for the second consecutive day on Friday

The Congress on Friday demanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation over the hazardous pollution levels in Delhi and also sought a blueprint in the next 15 days on how to improve the air quality.

Thick smog blanketed Delhi on Friday as the air quality remained in the ‘severe’ zone for the second consecutive day, primarily due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and raging farm fires in Punjab.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Delhi must be the only city in the world where schools and offices are shut because of pollution.

“Past 8 yrs, Delhi Govt couldn’t determine the cause of pollution nor could they make a policy to prevent it? While Delhi gasps for air, the CM & PM are breathing elections,” Mr. Kharge tweeted.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, party leader Gourav Vallabh said: “Pollution on, Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi gone.”

The dig was ostensibly a tweak of the Delhi government’s ‘red light on, car off’ campaign.

“When pollution shoots up, both the chief minister and the Prime Minister leave Delhi and travel to Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and elsewhere,” Mr. Vallabh said, in an apparent reference to the election campaigning.