Congress leader Rahul Gandhi issued a strong critique of the Narendra Modi–led Central government on Friday over the deepening air pollution crisis in India, asserting that the situation has become so grave that it should be recognised as a national public health emergency. He stressed that the country urgently needs an immediate and comprehensive discussion in Parliament, along with a strict and enforceable nationwide action plan aimed at safeguarding children from long-term, irreversible health damage.
In a post on X, Gandhi said that mothers across India repeatedly share the same distressing concern with him: their children are growing up in an environment where they are forced to inhale toxic air every day. He wrote that parents feel exhausted, frightened and furious, while children are “choking in front of us,” yet the Centre continues to remain silent and without a concrete mitigation strategy. He argued that the government must act with genuine urgency and responsibility, rather than treating the crisis as routine. “Our children deserve clean air, not excuses and distractions,” he said.
Gandhi also highlighted his recent interaction with a collective called “Warrior Moms: Mothers for Clean Air,” a group of mothers campaigning for pollution-free air for the next generation. In a separate post in Hindi, he said that these mothers are deeply anxious about the future of all children in India, not just their own. He warned that toxic air is already causing severe lung ailments, heart diseases, and even mental health complications among young children across the country. He criticised the government’s inaction, alleging that “even when confronted with a terrifying national catastrophe, the Modi government is still sitting idle,” while valuable time continues to pass.
He emphasised that India now requires coordinated, large-scale, and science-backed measures to ensure that children can grow up in a healthy, safe, and breathable environment. Alongside his social-media statements, Gandhi uploaded a video on his YouTube channel in which he spoke with several members of the Warrior Moms group, encouraging people to listen to their testimonies to understand the true scale and human impact of the crisis.
Meanwhile, air quality in Delhi approached the “severe” category on Friday. Multiple monitoring stations across the national capital recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) readings above 400. According to figures from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s overall AQI reached 384 at 6 a.m., firmly placing it in the “very poor” range — a level known to cause health harm even in otherwise healthy individuals.
