UP BJP leader blames Pakistan for pollution

Close on the heels of an Uttar Pradesh minister suggesting to organise 'yajna' (a Hindu ritual by fire) to please Lord 'Indra' (the god of rain) to get rid of pollution, a senior saffron party leader went a step further and blamed Pakistan for the smog, that has engulfed Delhi and large parts of UP.

Vineet Agarwal, convener of the state BJP's trade and commerce cell, on Wednesday said that Pakistan might have "released poisonous gases" into the country to "tarnish" the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Amit Shah.

"Pakistan finds itself in a bind owing mainly to the clever diplomatic manoeuvring in the international arena by Narendra Modi... Therefore it may conspire to put our country in problems and defame the prime minister," Agarwal told DH over the phone from Meerut, about 450 kilometre from here.

"It is my doubt that a wounded Pakistan may be releasing toxic gases into India," the saffron party leader said rejecting the contention that stubble burning was one of the factors behind increasing pollution levels.

He, however, likened Modi to Lord Krishna and Shah to Arjuna (a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata) and said that the duo had the capability to "solve" every problem.

"Modi and Amit Shah are Pandavas (the five brothers in Mahabharata) and the opposition parties and Pakistan are Kauravas (Pandavas' opponents)... Pandavas will emerge victorious once again," Agarwal added.

Barely a few days back Sunil Bharala, a status rank minister in the state, had defended stubble burning and asked the governments to hold yajnas, which "was a regular feature in our culture, to please Lord Indra."

"It will result in rain and the problem of pollution will be solved," Bharala had said.