Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday accused the BJP of trying to defame Punjab by linking Delhi’s pollution to stubble burning in the state, questioning why Haryana, which also grows paddy, was not being held accountable.Replying to a question, Mann told mediapersons, “We have maintained that Punjab’s smoke would reach Delhi only if the wind blows from the north-west at a speed of at least 100 km/hour, and it would take three days to reach there. However, winds rarely blow in that direction. Why don’t they talk about Haryana, which lies between Punjab and Delhi and also grows paddy?”Asked about remarks by Maryam Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, reportedly attributing the smog to stubble burning in Indian Punjab, Mann responded sarcastically: “Is our smoke reaching Pakistan as well? Paddy is cultivated in Lahore too.”He said Punjab had witnessed a bumper paddy crop this season, with production expected to exceed the target of 180 lakh metric tonnes and cross 200 LMT. He added that the state govt would procure the entire produce.“This is an attempt to defame Punjab. Even before paddy harvesting began in the state, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa had started alleging that smoke from Punjab was reaching Delhi,” Mann said.He said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi could claim to play a role in resolving global issues, he should also be able to bring the states concerned together to find a solution to stubble burning. “It is an issue affecting the entire north India,” the CM added.Mann questioned why Punjab was being singled out. “Paddy is cultivated in areas adjoining Delhi, such as Ghaziabad and Faridabad, in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. How is it that the smoke from Punjab reaches only Punjabi Bagh in Delhi and does not travel any further?” he asked.Asked about the invitation to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore, Mann said the paperwork for the visit was underway. “As I hold a constitutional position, I need political clearance for the visit. The formalities are being completed,” he said.On the Centre’s move to introduce the women’s reservation Bill, Mann alleged that the BJP was using it as a pretext to push delimitation, which he claimed was aimed at political opponents.CM rules out electoral debut for wifeAsked whether his wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, would contest the next assembly elections to make her political debut, CM Bhagwant Mann ruled out any such move. However, he emphasised that the Aam Aadmi Party was ensuring adequate representation for women in its candidate lists.On possible SAD-BJP pactAsked about the political implications of a possible SAD-BJP alliance, Bhagwant Mann said, “Zero plus zero will remain zero.”
