Calling allegations made by a Delhi government minister “baseless” and “unfounded”, Punjab minister and state president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Aman Arora, said that there has been a major reduction in stubble burning in Punjab.
While addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan on Thursday evening, Arora criticised Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa’s recent press conference, saying his remarks were “a shameful and desperate act of scapegoating that reflects a pathetic and low-level mindset that is alien to Punjab’s ethos”.
“The BJP-led governments are hell-bent on defaming Punjab, Punjabis, and our farmers. The recent allegations by Sirsa, who directly and shamelessly blamed Punjab for Delhi’s pollution crisis and even alleged a conspiracy by the Punjab government, are not just false, but are a deliberate act of hatred against Punjab and its people,” the minister added.
After pollution levels spiked in the national capital on the day of Diwali, Sirsa had said that the AAP, which rules Punjab, is “deliberately forcing” farmers to burn stubble in Punjab by covering their faces. “Farmers have been forced to burn stubble by covering their faces, so that this can impact Delhi,” the Delhi minister had said.
Arora highlighted “irrefutable data” from the central government’s sources — satellite remote sensing data and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, to claim that there is “significant reduction” in stubble burning incidents in Punjab on October 21 over the past four years.
“The Government of India’s own data shows a reduction from 597 cases in 2021 to mere 62 in 2025 (393 in 2022, further dropping to 146 in 2023, and 65 in 2024) on the same date. This is a ten-fold decrease, a monumental success achieved by the concerted efforts of the Punjab government and the immense cooperation of Punjab farmers,” the Punjab minister said.
“These figures are starkly contradicting and exposing Sirsa’s lies in the most unambiguous terms. His allegations are baseless and completely divorced from reality,” he added.
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Arora pointed out that from September 15 to October 21, Punjab has achieved a nearly 90 per cent reduction in farm fires, from 4,327 incidents in 2021 to just 415 in 2025.
“This is the truth that the BJP wants to hide,” he said, contrasting Punjab’s progress with BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, where farm fires have increased from 554 in 2021 to 660 this year.
“This data exposes the deep-seated hatred the BJP led governments have towards Punjab, its people, and farmers. Instead of acknowledging our efforts, they indulge in blame games. We won’t let Punjab be a scapegoat for their failures. We have the facts, commitment, and truth on our side,” Arora stated.
He further shared that the state government has provided over 1.5 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines to farmers at subsidised rates to manage the paddy straw effectively.
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He also appealed to farmers to join the mission to bring stubble burning cases to zero, while assuring them of the government’s “unwavering commitment” and support.
