AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj takes a dig at BJP after three Punjab MLAs join the party and accuses the Delhi government of underreporting air pollution levels.
Political tensions have intensified in Punjab ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections after three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reacting to the development, senior AAP leader and Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed the significance of the defections, claiming that the three legislators were unlikely to receive AAP tickets in the next election.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party was struggling to find enough candidates to contest all 117 Assembly seats in Punjab. He claimed that the legislators who had switched sides were among those whom AAP did not intend to field in the upcoming elections.
‘BJP Has a Habit of Collecting Garbage’, Says AAP Leader
Commenting on the three MLAs joining the BJP, Saurabh Bharadwaj said AAP had already anticipated that some leaders who were unlikely to secure election tickets might move to other parties.
He stated that the BJP did not have enough candidates to contest all 117 seats in Punjab and alleged that the party was looking to induct leaders rejected by other political organisations.
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Taking a sarcastic dig, Bharadwaj remarked, “The BJP has always had a habit of collecting garbage. Let them do it. We have no problem.”
He further maintained that the three MLAs who resigned from AAP were not among the leaders the party wanted to give tickets to. According to him, internal feedback and assessments had already indicated that they might not be considered for the next Assembly elections.
The departure of three sitting legislators has nevertheless brought fresh political activity to Punjab, with the development attracting attention ahead of the state elections.
Saurabh Bharadwaj Targets Rekha Gupta Government Over Delhi Pollution
Apart from the Punjab political developments, Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticised the BJP-led government in Delhi over worsening air pollution.
With Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing the 300 mark, the AAP leader questioned whether the official pollution figures accurately reflected the situation on the ground.
Bharadwaj alleged that the reported AQI levels were being brought down through the placement of monitoring stations in locations with comparatively cleaner air. He claimed that more than a dozen AQI monitoring stations had been installed in green areas over the past one-and-a-half to two years.
Allegations Over the Location of AQI Monitoring Stations
According to Saurabh Bharadwaj, some of the monitoring stations were placed inside university campuses, forest areas and rural parts of Delhi, where traffic-related pollution is comparatively lower.
He alleged that selecting such locations could reduce the average AQI reading and create an impression that pollution levels were lower than they actually were.
The AAP leader claimed that Delhi’s actual pollution situation was considerably worse than what the official figures suggested. These remarks were allegations made by Bharadwaj against the Delhi government.
Political Debate Intensifies in Punjab and Delhi
The developments have brought two major political issues into focus: the movement of AAP legislators towards the BJP in Punjab and the continuing debate over air pollution in Delhi.
While Saurabh Bharadwaj defended AAP’s position on the legislators’ departure and questioned the BJP’s candidate strength in Punjab, he also raised concerns about the accuracy of Delhi’s AQI monitoring system.
His remarks have added to the political exchange between the AAP and BJP ahead of the upcoming electoral contest in Punjab.
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