Carrying placards, leaders of various parties raised slogans outside the Makar Dwar of Parliament, asking the prime minister to stop making statements and take action
Sonia Gandhi. Pic/PTI
Leaders of various Opposition parties on Thursday staged a protest in the Parliament complex over the issue of air pollution in the national capital, with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi asking the government to take action.
Carrying placards, leaders of various parties raised slogans outside the Makar Dwar of Parliament, asking the prime minister to stop making statements and take action.
Some of the MPs also wore masks at the protest to highlight the problem of air pollution.
"It is the government's responsibility to do something as children are dying. Old people like me are also finding it difficult," Gandhi told reporters after the protest.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was among the opposition leaders present at the protest.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she has been demanding a discussion and concrete action on the issue, which was not political.
"Which weather should we enjoy? Look at the situation outside. As Sonia ji said, children are unable to breathe. She has asthma, and senior citizens like her are facing breathing difficulty. The situation keeps getting worse year after year. Only statements are made every year; no concrete action is taken. We have all said that the government has to take action, and we all stand with them. This is not a political issue that we would point fingers at each other," the Congress MP said.
Delhi has been battling poor air quality post Diwali.
Earlier today, Opposition MPs held a protest in front of Makar Dwar on the Parliament premises against the Centre over air pollution in Delhi-NCR and parts of North India.
The MPs were seen wearing an oxygen mask and holding a banner to take a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which read "Mausam ka maza lijiye" (enjoy the weather). The remark on the banner followed PM Modi's address at the start of the Winter Session of Parliament, in which he said so.
Raising slogans, the leaders demanded a parliamentary discussion on air pollution.
Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi also joined the protest outside the Parliament building.
As the Winter Session of the Parliament enters its fourth day, Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Manish Tewari and Vijayakumar alias Vijay Vasanth moved the notices to discuss the air quality in North India. The Congress leaders urged the Centre to declare pollution a national health emergency.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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