'Ready to find solution': Kiren Rijiju opens door to pollution debate after Rahul Gandhi's request

UNion authorities minister Kiren Rijiju on fri said the government is ready to carry a word in the Lok Sabha on the worsening air pollution crisis. His remarks come as Delhi choked under a dense layer of smog with air quality in the ‘very poor’ category.Responding to demands raised during Zero Hour, Rijiju said the government had “from day one” made its position clear - that it is willing to discuss all important matters and work toward solutions by incorporating suggestions from all members, including the principal Opposition led by Rahul Gandhi.“The government, from day one, had made our position very clear that on all important matters, the government is ready to discuss and also to find a solution, taking along the suggestions from all the members, including the principal opposition party led by Rahul Gandhi ji," the parliamentary affairs minister said.Rijiju noted that the issue had also been raised by Congress members in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC). “Under the various laws and rules, we will see how we will take up this discussion,” he said, indicating that time allocation would be examined by the panel.Delhi's air turns toxicThe political consensus came on a day when Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) measured 332 - firmly in the ‘very poor’ category - according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).Thirty monitoring stations reported ‘very poor’ air, while Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 405, placing it in the ‘severe’ category.As per CPCB standards, an AQI between:0–50 is ‘good’,51–100 ‘satisfactory’,101–200 ‘moderate’,201–300 ‘poor’,301–400 ‘very poor’, and401–500 ‘severe’.Forecasts offer little relief. The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) said Delhi’s air is likely to remain ‘very poor’ at least until Saturday, with the outlook for the following six days showing no significant improvement.Weather conditions also remained adverse. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8 degrees Celsius, around 0.6 degrees below normal, with 100% relative humidity, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 25 degrees Celsius.Rahul Gandhi calls for non-partisan approachEarlier, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi urged the House to hold an in-depth and forward-looking discussion, free from political confrontation.“Most of our major cities are living under a blanket of poisonous air. Millions of children are getting lung disease. Their future is being destroyed. People are getting cancer. Older people are struggling to breathe,” he said, stressing the severity of the crisis.Calling the issue non-ideological, Gandhi said, “Everybody in this House would agree that air pollution, the damage it is doing to our people, is something that we would like to cooperate on.”He said the Opposition was ready to work with the government to draw up a clear, systematic plan, urging MPs to focus on solutions rather than trading accusations.“A good idea would be that we frame the discussion not on us saying what you have not done, and not on you saying what we have not done, but simply on what we are going to do for the people of India in the future,” he said.Gandhi added that a thorough debate could help Prime Minister Narendra Modi eventually formulate a “methodical, systematic plan” for each polluted city over the next five to ten years.