Rahul Gandhi flags issue of air pollution, seeks discussion in Lok Sabha

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday raised the issue of air pollution in major cities of the country and sought a discussion on it in the Lok Sabha.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gandhi said the discussion on the issue can be framed in an interesting manner where the opposition and the government do not trade abuses at each other, but find a solution to the problem.

"This is not an ideological issue. 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," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said the prime minister can then put in place a plan to deal with the issue of air pollution.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready for a discussion on the issue and the Business Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha can allot time for the same.

"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," Gandhi said.