Delhi Environment Minister accused Punjab's AAP government of concealing stubble-burning cases, citing over 1,000 incidents and 271 FIRs against farmers despite claims of zero farm fires.Claiming that October 2026 was Delhi's cleanest October in a decade, Sirsa said the city had recorded 220 clean-air days so far this year. (Representative image) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of misleading people over stubble burning, alleging that while the party claimed there had been no farm fires in the state this year, 271 FIRs had been registered against farmers.Sirsa claimed the Punjab government had spent Rs 20-25 crore on advertisements to project that no stubble burning had taken place in the state this year, according to news agency Press Trust of India."There are more than 1,000 stubble-burning cases that we know of and 271 FIRs filed," Sirsa said, alleging a contradiction between AAP's public claims and the action being taken against farmers.He accused AAP of misleading people about the contribution of stubble burning in Punjab to Delhi's air pollution, saying party leaders were denying any link between the two even as cases were being registered against farmers in the state. Sirsa also targeted AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of taking "revenge on Delhi" and alleging that the party was uncomfortable with the improvement in the national capital's air quality under the BJP government.Claiming that October 2026 was Delhi's cleanest October in a decade, Sirsa said the city had recorded 220 clean-air days so far this year.
He further claimed that Delhi's average Air Quality Index (AQI) was around 10 per cent lower than in previous years, attributing the improvement to coordinated efforts by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's government and residents.There was no immediate response from the AAP to Sirsa's allegations.- Ends