On First Day Of Assembly, AAP MLAs Wear Masks, Exchange Blame With BJP Over Delhi's Pollution Crisis
As Speaker orders four AAP MLAs to be marshalled out, Environment Minister Sirsa counters AAP allegations, blames 40 previous years of AAP, Congress governments.
Published : January 5, 2026 at 2:14 PM IST
New Delhi: Amid escalating tensions between the incumbent BJP and the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the issue of air pollution in the National Capital, AAP leaders arrived to attend the first day of the Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly on Monday wearing masks, raising political temperatures amid the cold wave gripping the capital.
It reached a flashpoint when early into the Assembly session, Speaker Vijender Gupta ordered the marshaling out of four AAP MLAs — including Kuldeep Kumar, Sanjeev Jha, and Jarnail Singh — for wearing masks and shouting slogans on pollution inside the House, just as Lieutenant-Governor (LG) V K Saxena began his inaugural address at around 11 am.
AAP Walks Out Of Assembly, Stages Protest
In protest, other AAP MLAs walked out of the House and staged a sit-in protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. They included Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Atishi, former minister Imran Hussain, Surendra Kumar, Prem Chauhan, Veer Singh Dhingan, Pravesh Ratan, Purandeep Singh Sahni, Anil Jha, and Virender Singh Kadian. Addressing the MLAs and media, the LoP charged the BJP government of denying clean air to the people of Delhi. Atishi alleged that the BJP government is also failing to provide any concrete solution to the problem, while people are forced to wear masks when they leave their homes, to highlight which, MLAs of her party had come wearing masks.
As AAP MLAs kept chanting slogans demanding the government take action on pollution, one of the MLAs who had been marshaled out, Kuldeep Kumar, said, "Pollution is a public issue, and no one can stop us from raising it. The government has resorted to dictatorship. We were thrown out of the House for raising the issue. Removing our masks won't remove pollution; you have to work to eliminate the threat. This government is misleading the public by manipulating pollution data. We will not let this happen."
The MLA further said that while Delhi's air has become so toxic that doctors at AIIMS, as well as experts, are saying that it's difficult to breathe in Delhi's air, the government is busy manipulating data. He said, "The government will have to take strict steps to eliminate pollution. We'll keep reminding this government that to eliminate pollution, you need to work; that you can't mislead the public by manipulating data." He added that pollution is the biggest issue of our time, and that "our protest will continue till the government listens".
Echoing Kumar, former minister Imran Hussain of the AAP alleged that the L-G is not ready to discuss pollution in the Assembly. He said pollution is so extreme that it has become difficult for children and the elderly to leave their homes, while large numbers are being admitted to hospitals, and schools are operating in a hybrid mode.
Hussain said, "This year, Delhi is experiencing the highest pollution levels in the last 10 years."
Environment Minister Sirsa Puts Blame On Past AAP, Congress Governments
Responding to the protest and the AAP's allegations, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa pollution is proof of a collective failure of the Congress and the AAP for the previous 40 years. He said Delhi's deteriorating air quality is not a new problem, but a result of negligence and failed policies that have continued for the past four decades, adding that the matter first reached the Supreme Court in 1985, highlighting that Delhi's air had already become dangerously polluted over 40 years ago.
Sirsa added that despite this, no government that ruled Delhi between 1985 and 2025 provided a permanent solution to the problem. He alleged that first, the Congress ruled for 15 years, and then, the AAP for 11 years, but both only played politics over pollution. He said the current situation is a result of the policy failures of those years.
Sirsa said there should be a serious discussion on pollution in the Assembly session, for which, his government will table the CAG report from 2022, which was never presented by the then AAP government, adding that it documents the truth about Delhi's pollution crisis over the years.
He further said that information related to the "Sheesh Mahal" should also be presented to the public, so that a complete picture of 40 years of failure can be revealed. The Environment Minister also said the current government has taken several decisions related to the environment that will directly benefit millions of people.
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