Air Pollution A Governance Failure: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi:  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has intensified his attack on the government over worsening air pollution, linking it to what he described as a broader collapse of urban governance and warning that environmental neglect and failing infrastructure are taking a heavy toll on public health, livelihoods and the economy.

On Sunday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said crores of Indians are paying the price for toxic air every day, with children and the elderly suffering the most. In a post on X, he urged citizens to raise their voices against the crisis and share their experiences of how air pollution has affected them or their loved ones through his Awaaz Bharat Ki platform.

“We are paying a heavy price for air pollution with our health and our economy,” Gandhi wrote. He said livelihoods, particularly those of construction workers and daily wage earners, are being severely affected as poor air quality disrupts work and worsens illness. Stressing that air pollution should not be treated as a seasonal issue confined to winter months, he said sustained public pressure was essential to bring about meaningful change. “Your voice matters, and it is my duty to raise it,” he added.

Gandhi has repeatedly flagged air pollution as a national emergency and a failure of governance. During the Winter Session of Parliament, he sought a dedicated discussion on the issue, arguing that clean air should be regarded as a basic right. He has accused the government of relying on short-term measures instead of adopting a comprehensive, long-term pollution control strategy.

In recent weeks, the Congress leader has also linked the pollution crisis to what he termed a wider pattern of urban collapse. Referring to recurring incidents of waterlogging, infrastructure failures and avoidable deaths in cities, he said India’s urban centres suffer from a lack of accountability rather than a shortage of resources. Reacting to a recent fatal accident linked to civic mismanagement, he remarked, “Roads kill, bridges kill, pollution kills — corruption and indifference kill.”

Earlier, Gandhi warned of a “pandemic of greed” spreading across cities, where urban decay has been normalised and citizens left numb to everyday crises. Through his renewed focus on air pollution, he appears to be building a broader political narrative connecting environmental health, urban safety and social justice with questions of governance and responsibility.