Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday, 30 October 2026, squarely blamed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal for the surge in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, calling it a direct contributor to deteriorating air quality across north India. Sirsa cited media reports indicating that 1,007 farm-fire incidents have been recorded in Punjab so far this season.

Key Developments

Of the 1,007 total incidents, 672 have been concentrated in just three districts — Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Ferozepur — underscoring a geographic cluster of non-compliance in the state's agricultural belt. Sirsa said that the AAP government in Punjab, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has so far failed to enforce effective controls on farm fires despite being in power.

The minister further alleged that the Punjab government is actively pressuring farmers to burn stubble, a charge that, if substantiated, would mark a sharp reversal from AAP's own long-standing rhetoric on the issue.

What the Delhi Minister Said

Sirsa drew pointed attention to what he described as a political contradiction: when Kejriwal served as Chief Minister of Delhi for 10 years, he and other AAP leaders routinely cited stubble burning in Punjab as the primary driver of Delhi's seasonal air pollution crisis. 'Today, AAP is in power in Punjab, yet the incidents of stubble burning remain a serious concern and effective control has not been ensured,' Sirsa said in a statement.

Addressing Kejriwal directly, Sirsa said: 'Arvind Kejriwal ji, you have served as the Chief Minister of Delhi for 10 years and are well aware of the problem of air pollution and the difficulties faced by the people of Delhi. It is not appropriate to put the health of Delhi's people and the interests of farmers at risk for political reasons.'

He called on the Bhagwant Mann government to understand its responsibility and take 'immediate and effective steps' to prevent further farm-fire incidents.

Central Government's Role in Stubble Management

Sirsa credited the Centre with providing farmers modern alternatives to burning, including happy seeders, straw cutters, and other crop-residue management equipment. He noted that farmers are increasingly exploring options to generate economic value from stubble rather than burning it. Despite these interventions, he argued, the rising fire count in Punjab points to a governance failure at the state level.

Delhi's Air Quality Efforts

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government claims to have recorded 219 clean-air days so far this year, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 60 — a figure the minister cited as evidence of the administration's pollution-control push. The Delhi government's Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) is being used to monitor pollution-related activities in real time, with inter-departmental coordination being stepped up.

Sirsa maintained that a lasting resolution to the air quality crisis requires neighbouring states to act with 'equal seriousness' — a remark directed at Punjab's AAP administration. This comes amid the annual October–November window when farm fires in Punjab and Haryana typically spike, sending Delhi's AQI into the hazardous range.