> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://newsanek.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Delhi Minister Sirsa Accuses AAP of Backing Punjab Stubble Burning - URL: https://newsanek.com/sirsa-accuses-aap-punjab-stubble-burning-delhi-aqi/ - Published: 2026-11-03T15:58:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T15:58:54.000Z - Description: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that AAP is encouraging farm fires in Punjab to worsen Delhi's air quality. - Author: Kumar Ujjwal - Tags: India, Punjab, #state-punjab, #starter Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of deliberately encouraging stubble burning in Punjab to worsen air pollution in Delhi. Speaking at a press conference, he alleged that former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was seeking political revenge as the capital's air quality showed signs of improvement, according to a PTI report carried by ABP News. ### Key points - Sirsa alleged that AAP is encouraging stubble burning in Punjab and claimed over 1,000 such incidents have been reported. - He questioned the appointment of former AAP spokesperson Reena Gupta as chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). - He alleged the Punjab government spent Rs 20 crore to Rs 25 crore on advertisements saying there was no stubble burning. - Sirsa said Delhi recorded 220 clean-air days in 2026, the most in a decade. ## Allegations on stubble burning Sirsa claimed that more than 1,000 stubble-burning incidents had been reported in Punjab, adding to pollution in Delhi. He alleged that the Punjab Police and government officials were helping the practice continue. According to him, AAP was getting farmers to burn crop residue while its government registered cases against them. The minister also alleged that the Punjab government spent between Rs 20 crore and Rs 25 crore on advertisements claiming there was no stubble burning in the state. He said FIRs registered in different districts contradicted this claim and pointed to them as proof of farm fires. Sirsa further alleged that AAP wanted Delhi's air quality to worsen so that the BJP-led government in the capital could be blamed. ## Questions over PPCB appointment Sirsa also targeted the appointment of Reena Gupta, a former AAP spokesperson, as PPCB chairperson. He asked how someone who is not from Punjab, not an IAS officer and not a technical expert could head the state's pollution control board. He alleged she was brought to Punjab because of a family connection with Kejriwal, and that her appointment was meant to hide the real extent of stubble burning by manipulating pollution data. "They brought their political spokesperson from Delhi, who is said to be a close relative of Arvind Kejriwal, and appointed her as the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board," Sirsa said. He added that no person from outside Punjab, outside the IAS and without a technical background had held the post in the 75 years since Independence. He also questioned AAP's record on managing pollution in Delhi during its earlier time in government. ## Delhi's air quality claims Defending the Delhi government's work, Sirsa said the capital had recorded 220 clean-air days in 2026, the highest in the past decade. He described October 2026 as the cleanest October in 10 years. According to him, the average AQI this year was the lowest in a decade, showing a 10 per cent improvement over previous years, and the annual average AQI had also come down. These are claims made by the minister and the allegations against AAP and the Punjab government have not been independently verified in the report. The report did not include a response from AAP or the Punjab government. The available text of the report ends mid-sentence while Sirsa was addressing the people of Delhi, so his full remarks are not available. --- ### Source - [ABP News: 'Kejriwal Taking Revenge': Sirsa Accuses AAP Of Fueling Stubble Burning In Punjab To Worsen Delhi AQI](https://news.abplive.com/cities/delhi-pollution-manjinder-sirsa-accuses-aap-stubble-burning-punjab-kejriwal-220-clean-days-reena-gupta-ppcb-1874521?ref=newsanek.com)