Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president Aman Arora on Tuesday challenged the BJP to explain how smoke from stubble burning in Punjab could reach Delhi in just 20 minutes. Citing pollution data for Nov 9, he claimed that stubble smoke accounted for only 5% of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution, while Punjab had recorded a nearly 95% decline in stubble-burning incidents this year. He also accused the BJP of using data from central research institutions to run a campaign against Punjab’s farmers.Citing data from the CREAMS laboratory of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Arora claimed Punjab had recorded 83,002 stubble-burning incidents in 2020, which declined to 5,114 in 2025. The number had further fallen to 4,657 so far this season, marking a nearly 95% reduction compared to 2020, he said.“This remarkable reduction has been achieved because Punjab’s farmers have cooperated wholeheartedly and the AAP government has provided them with practical alternatives and the necessary resources,” he said.Arora demanded an unconditional apology from the BJP for allegedly maligning Punjab’s farmers instead of addressing the real sources of Delhi’s pollution. He also highlighted the AAP government’s crop residue management initiatives and sought an immediate enhancement of the Centre-approved Cash Credit Limit (CCL) to ensure uninterrupted paddy procurement.“Instead of recognising these efforts, the BJP is deliberately running a campaign to defame the very farmers who have made such a significant contribution towards reducing stubble burning,” he said.Referring to data from SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Arora said stubble smoke accounted for 7.8% of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Nov 8, the day after Diwali, before falling to just 5% on Nov 9. He added that its average contribution during the season remained between 4% and 5%, excluding two days.“Research by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), studies by Kulkarni and co-authors, and reports from the Decision Support System (DSS) clearly underline the significant contribution of local sources to Delhi’s pollution. The BJP must explain why it is deliberately ignoring this scientific evidence and attempting to make Punjab’s farmers the scapegoats for Delhi’s pollution crisis,” Arora said.Highlighting the state government’s efforts to curb stubble burning, Arora said more than 1.62 lakh crop residue management machines had been provided at subsidised rates to farmers, panchayats, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Custom Hiring Centres since 2022. Of these, 25,917 machines had been distributed during the current year alone.Taking on BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Arora termed their remarks against Punjab’s farmers as baseless and challenged Punjab BJP leaders Sunil Jakhar and Kewal Singh Dhillon to publicly clarify their position.“Why is the BJP targeting Punjab’s farmers through drone surveillance when farm fires are already being monitored through satellite technology? Is the objective to find scientific solutions or to intimidate farmers? The BJP must issue an unconditional apology to Punjab and its farmers,” he said.Box: Enhance CCL for Paddy, Says AroraArora said the Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of around Rs 40,000 crore approved by the Centre had been fully utilised, necessitating an immediate enhancement in view of this year’s bumper paddy crop. He said the state government was committed to procuring every grain of paddy from farmers and ensuring its proper storage.