Air Pollution Unites Parliament: Rahul Gandhi Calls for Debate, Rijiju Signals Consensus

In the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi urged both the government and the opposition to treat air pollution as a national crisis, not an ideological fight, warning that India’s major cities are choking under “poisonous” air that is harming children, the elderly, and public health at large. Stressing that there is broad agreement across party lines, Gandhi called for a focused parliamentary discussion on concrete solutions for the present and the years ahead. Responding positively, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was open to such a discussion — pointing to rare bipartisan willingness to work together on tackling air pollution.