Chandigarh: Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has once again ruled out a meeting with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the issue of air pollution resulting from stubble burning, urging him to refrain from trying to politicise such a serious issue. This followed Kejriwal’s request via Twitter for a meeting with Amarinder Singh in Chandigarh on Wednesday. 

The Delhi Chief Minister is scheduled to arrive in Chandigarh on Wednesday to meet his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar. Responding to media reports triggered by Kejriwal’s tweet to once again seek a meeting with him, the Punjab Chief Minister said he “failed to understand why the Delhi Chief Minister was trying to force his hand, knowing well that any such discussion will be meaningless and futile”. 

“Kejriwal’s tendency to indulge in petty street politics is well known,” Amarinder Singh said, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party leader was “evidently trying to divert public attention from his own government’s failure to check pollution in Delhi, as exposed by National Green Tribunal response to the ill-conceived odd-even scheme”. 

Amarinder Singh said, “The problems faced by Delhi and Punjab on this count are completely divergent, with no meeting ground. “Unlike Punjab, the Delhi problem was the result mainly of urban pollution caused by mismanaged transportation and unplanned industrial development. Instead of focusing all his attention on resolving these issues, Kejriwal wanted to waste time holding useless discussions,” said Capt. Amarinder.