Rahul Gandhi Demands Discussion on Air Pollution in Parliament

In a rare consensus, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said that the matter had already been raised at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) and he would return after a decision was taken.

Sravasti Dasgupta

rahul gandhi demands discussion on air pollution in parliament

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks in the House during the Winter session of Parliament in New Delhi on December 12, 2025. Photo: Sansad TV via PTI.

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday (December 12) demanded a discussion in parliament on rising air pollution in Indian cities saying that the government and the opposition can come together to address the “blanket of poisonous air” without blaming each other. In a rare show of consensus, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju agreed to Gandhi’s suggestion and said that the matter had already been raised at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting and he would return to the House after a decision was taken.

Speaking during the zero hour in Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that major Indian cities are “living under a blanket of poisonous air”.

“Millions of children are getting lung disease, their future is being destroyed, people are getting cancer, older people are struggling to breathe. This is not an ideological issue,” he said.

“Everybody in this House would agree that air pollution, the damage it is doing to our people, is something that we would like to cooperate on. It is 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 that the government and the opposition agree on.

“We can show the country that we can work together to solve something critical. We should have a discussion in parliament and try not to make a discussion where we are abusing you and we are abusing us. I think we should make it a discussion where we are participating, we are showing the country that there is agreement on this fundamental issue and best minds are going to work to solve this issue,” he added.

Rijiju then said in response that the matter had been raised by members of the Congress in the BAC and the government is ready to discuss any issue. He said that he would come back to the House after a decision.

This article went live on December twelfth, two thousand twenty five, at twenty-eight minutes past four in the afternoon.

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