Rahul Gandhi calls for debate, formulation of national plan to combat air pollution (Lead)

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday urged the government to formulate a comprehensive, city-specific strategy to tackle air pollution, calling it a “non-ideological” issue that needs discussion to formulate a “united” national action plan. 

Calling for full cooperation between the Treasury and Opposition benches over the issue, Gandhi, while speaking in the Lok Sabha, pressed for a structured Parliamentary discussion followed by a long-term national plan.

Spelling out his suggestion, he added, “it would be good if we have a detailed discussion, and then the Prime Minister puts in place a plan for each city - a methodical, systematic plan on how within the next five or ten years... maybe, we cannot resolve the problem, but how we are going to impact the problem and make life for our people easier”.

In a message on X, the LoP said, “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.”

Earlier, he said that the discussion on a national plan should not focus on the large good and not on “what you have not done” or “what we did not do earlier”.

Gandhi emphasised that India’s leading cities are “living under a blanket of poisonous air,” warning that millions of children are developing lung diseases, older citizens are struggling to breathe, and cancer cases are rising due to toxic air quality.

The Congress MP said this is one of the rare issues on which the government and the Opposition can demonstrate unity.

He urged members to avoid partisan exchanges during the proposed debate and instead “show the country” that both sides can work together to address a pressing national challenge.

Gandhi said that it would be good to frame the discussion around the action steps required rather than indulging in a blame game. Calling air pollution a national catastrophe, he said it demands a comprehensive and immediate national action plan.

“I think it’s important that the government develops a plan for how to get rid of air pollution in our cities. We are more than happy to cooperate with the government on developing such a plan. There are not many issues these days that the government and the entire Opposition can agree on,” he said.

Gandhi reiterated the Opposition’s willingness to collaborate with the government in designing an actionable framework to mitigate air pollution and improve public health outcomes.

--IANS

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