Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded a detailed discussion in Parliament on the issue of air pollution in the national capital as he questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this "health emergency".
He also demanded a strict, enforceable action plan to tackle air pollution and asked why the Modi government was not showing any urgency or accountability on the issue.
Gandhi met a few mothers at his residence on the issue and shared a video of his conversation with them.
"Every mother I meet tells me the same thing: her child is growing up breathing toxic air. They are exhausted, scared and angry.
"Modi ji, India's children are choking in front of us. How can you stay silent? Why does your government show no urgency, no plan, no accountability?" he asked in a post on X.
"India needs an immediate, detailed Parliament debate on air pollution and a strict, enforceable action plan to tackle this health emergency," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"Our children deserve clean air - not excuses and distractions," he asserted.
Delhi has been battling very poor air quality from the past 15 days.
Delhi's overall air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Friday morning, with an AQI reading of 384.
A total of 20 monitoring stations recorded 'very poor' air quality, while 18 fell in the 'severe' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app.
As per the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor" and 401 to 500 "severe".
Delhi also witnessed a cold morning as the minimum temperature settled at 8.1 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees below normal, the IMD said.
The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 26 degrees, with the forecast indicating moderate fog during the day.
According to the forecast by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain 'very poor' over the coming week.
With Delhi's air quality slipping deep into the 'very poor' and 'severe' categories this winter, doctors have stressed the need for regular diagnostic screening to detect early signs of pollution-linked health deterioration, especially among smokers, asthma patients, children and people with pre-existing cardiac or respiratory conditions.
Experts said preventive health checks are becoming increasingly important as toxic air triggers airway inflammation, reduces lung function and aggravates underlying diseases.
