Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP-led Centre of unfairly blaming Punjab's stubble fires for Delhi's pollution. He urged northern states and the Centre to devise a lasting regional solution.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addressing media on FridayChandigarh,Nov 13, 2026 18:59 ISTPunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday accused the BJP-led central government of defaming the state over stubble burning and blaming it for Delhi's air pollution, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Mann said BJP leaders had begun blaming Punjab even before the paddy harvest started.
He called for the Centre to hold talks with the states concerned and find a lasting solution to stubble management across north India.Addressing a news conference, Mann questioned claims that smoke from stubble burning in Punjab reaches Delhi."We have been saying that Punjab smoke will reach Delhi if the wind blows north to west with a speed of at least 100 kmph, and then also, it will take three days to reach. But the wind does not blow from north to west; it blows from east to west or west to east.
Why don't they tell anything to Haryana?" he said. He said Haryana also grows paddy and questioned the state of procurement there."They keep giving us lessons to learn from Haryana on MSP, but what is the state of paddy procurement there whereas in Punjab we have met the procurement target.
Rather, we will far exceed it by procuring 200 lakh metric tonnes against 180 lakh metric tonnes. We will procure every single grain of farmers," Mann told reporters.Asked about reports that authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province had blamed stubble burning in Indian Punjab as one of the reasons for Lahore's poor air quality, Mann said, "So, does the smoke from here reach there as well?"He said Uttar Pradesh and Haryana also grow paddy but are not blamed for Delhi's pollution despite surrounding the national capital from different sides.
Mann questioned how smoke from Punjab could directly reach Delhi and remain there without affecting areas along the way."They only defame Punjab. Even before paddy was to be harvested in Punjab, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa started to blame Punjab," he said.Mann said stubble management was not an issue concerning Punjab alone. "Now, you will take 200 lakh metric tonnes from us, there will be stubble.
So, why does the Centre not find a solution?" he asked."The prime minister finds a solution to global problems; this issue is a problem of the entire North India. So, they should make these three to four states sit and find a solution," Mann said.Mann, who said last month that he had been invited to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27, also spoke about the clearance required for the visit.
Asked whether he had sought the Centre's permission, he said, "We are doing the paperwork for that."Asked about the possibility of permission being denied, Mann said, "We will wait for what they say. Political clearance has to be taken."Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had on Monday also accused the BJP of trying to defame Punjab's farmers.
He said Punjab was being unfairly blamed for Delhi's pollution even though the national capital is surrounded by states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.Mann maintained that stubble burning and air pollution were regional issues requiring a joint response from the Centre and the states concerned, rather than blame being placed only on Punjab.- Ends