Centre only defames Punjab over stubble burning, ignores Haryana and UP, says Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday accused the BJP-led Centre of unfairly blaming his state for Delhi's air pollution, alleging that the ruling party was attempting to defame Punjab and its farmers over stubble burning while ignoring other paddy-growing states.

Addressing a press conference, Mann said BJP leaders had started holding Punjab responsible for pollution in the national capital even before the paddy harvesting season began.

"They only defame Punjab. Even before paddy was to be harvested in Punjab, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa started to blame Punjab," he said.

The chief minister questioned why Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which also cultivate paddy, were not subjected to similar criticism despite their proximity to Delhi.

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲

"We have been saying that Punjab smoke will reach Delhi if the wind blows north to west with a speed of at least 100 kmph, and then also, it will take three days to reach. But the wind does not blow from north to west; it blows from east to west or west to east. Why don't they tell anything to Haryana?" Mann asked.

He also questioned how smoke originating in Punjab could travel directly to Delhi and remain concentrated there without affecting other areas along the way.

Responding to reports that authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province had blamed stubble burning in Indian Punjab for Lahore's deteriorating air quality, Mann remarked, "So, does the smoke from here reach there as well?"

The chief minister maintained that stubble burning and air pollution were regional challenges that could not be attributed to a single state.

𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁

Mann also criticised the BJP for frequently citing Haryana as an example of better agricultural practices and minimum support price (MSP) implementation.

"Paddy is grown there also. They keep giving us lessons to learn from Haryana on MSP, but what is the state of paddy procurement there whereas in Punjab we have met the procurement target," he said.

The chief minister asserted that Punjab would exceed its paddy procurement target of 180 lakh metric tonnes and purchase approximately 200 lakh metric tonnes during the season.

"Rather, we will far exceed it by procuring 200 lakh metric tonnes against 180 lakh metric tonnes. We will procure every single grain of farmers," he said.

Mann argued that large-scale paddy procurement inevitably generated substantial crop residue, making it necessary for the Centre to develop practical solutions for managing agricultural waste.

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The chief minister urged the Union government to convene a meeting of the affected northern states to formulate a coordinated and lasting solution to stubble burning.

"Now, you will take 200 lakh metric tonne from us, there will be stubble. So, why does the Centre not find a solution?" he asked.

"The prime minister finds a solution to global problems; this issue is a problem of the entire North India. So, they should make these three to four states sit and find a solution," Mann added.

He stressed that addressing crop residue management required cooperation among states rather than repeatedly singling out Punjab.

𝗟𝗮𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

Meanwhile, Mann said the state government was completing the necessary paperwork to obtain political clearance from the Centre for his proposed visit to Pakistan.

The chief minister had earlier announced that he had been invited to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27.

Asked whether he had sought permission from the Union government, Mann said, "We are doing the paperwork for that."

On the possibility of permission being denied, he replied, "We will wait for what they say. Political clearance has to be taken."

Earlier this week, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had also accused the BJP of unfairly targeting Punjab's farmers over Delhi's pollution while overlooking the contributions of neighbouring states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.