Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu on Monday accused the BJP of repeatedly targeting and defaming Punjab’s farmers to divert attention from its own administrative failures in tackling Delhi’s pollution crisis.

Pannu said that even before the paddy harvesting began, BJP leaders had started blaming Punjab for Delhi’s pollution, despite the state achieving nearly 90% control over stubble burning incidents this year. “To cover up the gas chamber-like conditions in Delhi during Diwali and their own administrative failures, BJP leaders are making baseless allegations every day,” he alleged.

Describing BJP minister Kapil Mishra’s claim of 1,200 stubble burning incidents in Punjab overnight as “completely baseless”, the AAP leader said that if there was any truth to Mishra’s claims, he should seek answers from his own cabinet colleague, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who had been making statements about smoke coming from Punjab for several days.

“Punjab has achieved nearly 90% control over incidents of stubble burning this year, while 80% reduction was recorded last year. Evidence of this is available in the central government’s reply recorded in the official proceedings of Parliament,” he claimed.