Chandigarh, November 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu on Tuesday accused the BJP of making Punjab’s farmers scapegoats for Delhi’s pollution instead of addressing the multiple sources of poor air quality in the national capital.
Addressing a press conference, Pannu cited Parliament data showing an 80 per cent decline in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab last year. He said the Bhagwant Mann government had deployed more than 21,000 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines, including 14,274 Super Seeders, along with Mulchers, MB Ploughs and Baling Machines.
Targeting Delhi BJP Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Pannu challenged BJP leaders to visit Punjab and assess the ground situation. He said farmers were increasingly collecting and selling paddy stubble to industries instead of burning it, with the crop residue being used to manufacture CNG, cardboard and other products.
He cited the Vayu project on the Patiala-Sirhind road, which, according to him, collects stubble from nearly 250 villages for CNG production. He added that government subsidies ranging from 50 to 80 per cent had encouraged farmers and private operators to purchase or rent machinery for stubble management.
Pannu also compared the AQI figures cited during the press conference, claiming that Delhi’s AQI was above 350, Haryana’s ranged between 250 and 300, while Punjab’s was around 125. He questioned why Punjab was being singled out when pollution levels in Delhi and Haryana were higher.
He said the claim that smoke from Punjab was directly responsible for Delhi’s pollution ignored other pollution sources and was an attempt to mislead people. He also questioned why Haryana, which he said had fewer stubble-management machines than Punjab, was not facing similar scrutiny.
Pannu alleged that the Centre had refused to share the financial burden of stubble management despite Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann offering to contribute the state’s share towards compensation for farmers. He said the state government had continued investing in machinery, subsidies and infrastructure despite the Centre’s refusal.
Clarifying that stubble burning had not been completely eliminated, Pannu said the government aimed to bring incidents under control beyond 90 per cent this year. He acknowledged the efforts of farmers, private machinery operators and organisations, including the team led by Dr Sidhu in the Raikot region.
Inviting Sirsa and other BJP leaders to visit Punjab, Pannu said they should inspect stubble-management initiatives and assess AQI levels themselves rather than blaming farmers for Delhi’s pollution.
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