Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has launched a sharp attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, squarely blaming the former chief minister and his government for the severe air pollution crisis gripping the national capital. In a detailed 15-page letter written on Tuesday, Saxena accused Kejriwal of "11 years of neglect and criminal inaction" that has culminated in the present public health emergency.
A Casual Attitude Towards a Grave Crisis
The LG's letter makes a series of serious allegations. One of the most striking claims is about a personal conversation on air pollution. Saxena stated that during this discussion, Kejriwal, who served as Chief Minister from 2015 to 2024, displayed a disturbingly casual attitude. According to the LG, Kejriwal remarked, "Sir, this happens every year. For 15-20 days the media highlights it, activists and courts take it up as an issue, and then everyone forgets about it. You too should not pay much attention to it." Saxena presented this as evidence of the AAP leader's dismissive approach to a problem affecting millions of Delhi residents annually.
List of Charges and Political Allegations
Backing the current BJP-led Delhi government, which has been in office for under a year, Saxena said his over three-and-a-half-year tenure as LG made him familiar with Kejriwal's governance style. He accused the AAP chief of attempting to "bog down" the new administration's efforts to rectify past mistakes, alleging this was motivated by "petty political gains." The timing of the letter is significant, coming amid days of hazardous air quality, on which AAP has been targeting the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government.
Saxena elaborated on specific failures he attributes to the previous AAP government:
- Poor road conditions leading to increased dust pollution (PM10 and PM2.5).
- Stalling critical infrastructure projects like Metro Phase IV and the RRTS.
- Delaying the induction of centrally funded electric buses.
On the e-buses, the LG made a pointed accusation: "You stalled e-buses funded by Government of India only because you wanted your picture on them."
Blocked Number and a Public Rebuttal
Saxena explained that he resorted to a written letter because direct communication had broken down. He claimed that after losing the Delhi election, Kejriwal never came to meet him and was largely based in Punjab. "When I tried to contact you, I could not get through, and even my Diwali greeting message showed that you had blocked my number," the LG wrote. He stated the purpose of the letter was to counter what he called a "false public perception" created by Kejriwal regarding his own role in tackling pollution.
The letter represents a significant escalation in the ongoing political blame game over Delhi's perennial and deadly air pollution problem, shifting the focus squarely onto the record of the city's longest-serving chief minister in recent times.
