Senior AAP Leader and Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha has raised sharp questions over the BJP government’s so-called cloud seeding trial to curb Delhi’s pollution, calling the claim unbelievable. He asked why the BJP, which is projecting the exercise as historic, carried it out secretly without following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), informing the local MLA or alerting residents. The Burari MLA said the chemicals used, like silver iodide, could harm the eyes, skin and lungs, and questioned whether the effects were hidden because most residents of Burari—mainly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar—are treated as second-class citizens by the BJP. Addressing a press conference, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha stated, “On Thursday, Delhi’s BJP government’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa tweeted a video saying that a cloud seeding trial had been conducted in the Burari area and that it was successful. The claim of success implies that the government carried out cloud seeding. The BJP minister said that when cloud seeding takes place, it results in rainfall, which we call artificial rain, and this helps control air pollution. I believe that when the government conducts cloud seeding, there must be a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place. This is not something that should be done secretly.”
Questioning the trial, Sanjeev Jha said, “When the Rafale deal was happening, BJP leaders were asking people to make reels and take photos. The entire day, the media showed how the deal happened. But when the cloud seeding trial took place, why was it done quietly? People are asking where the trial happened, what it looked like, and what the impact was.”
Government could have simply called the media
“The government could have simply called the media, and that too could have become a reel. BJP leaders are experts at making reels; theirs is a ‘reel government’ where nothing happens in ‘real’. BJP Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa is two steps ahead in making reels — he could have stood there making one while the plane flew and flares were fired. That would have at least provided some solid information,” he added.
Sanjeev Jha said, “I am the local MLA of Burari. The BJP government should have at least informed me. I would have informed the public. People could have taken photos of the plane involved in cloud seeding, and everyone would have known where the trial took place. But residents of Burari say they neither saw any flare nor heard any sound. No one got any information. So what kind of cloud seeding was this? What is more worrying is that the SOP clearly states that residents of the area where the trial is conducted must be alerted beforehand. This is not something to be hidden. The government was not conducting a nuclear test that required secrecy.” He continued, “I have concrete information that the Environment Minister was informed that before conducting cloud seeding anywhere, the residents of that area must be alerted because the chemicals used in the process are not safe for the skin. Was there any impact on crops or the public? What were the effects? Which chemicals were used? Across the world, wherever cloud seeding has been carried out, people have been alerted in advance. It should not be conducted in densely populated areas. Why, then, is the BJP government hiding this information? Why did it not inform the people beforehand? They are tweeting about it after the seeding, yet no one has any details. Why did this happen?” Questioning the government’s intent, Sanjeev Jha stated, “Why did the BJP government choose Burari for the trial? Burari has a large population of migrants, and in the eyes of the BJP, they are treated as second-class citizens because BJP leaders have previously called Purvanchali people ‘infiltrators’. They have said that those living here are outsiders, and houses belonging to people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been demolished.”
BJP’s view, the people of Burari
“Perhaps, in BJP’s view, the people of Burari are second-class citizens. But everyone’s dignity and life are equally important. The BJP minister said that the North-East area was chosen for the trial. Does this mean that cloud seeding in the North-East will eliminate pollution across Delhi? If not, why were North-East and Burari chosen? Why only nearby areas? Could there be long-term effects that the BJP wants to avoid controversy over? The BJP government must provide complete information to the people of Delhi,” he asserted. The AAP MLA added that the BJP government says India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted clouds between 27 and 29 October. But the BJP must explain in detail how the clouds will form, what level of humidity is required for rainfall, and whether such humidity exists. They are giving people incomplete information. The public is unaware of the potential effects. Scientists must have briefed the government. If the government does not understand, then scientists themselves should hold a press conference and explain it to the people of Delhi. It is not right to mock people through tweets. Therefore, I demand that the BJP government, the Chief Minister, and the Environment Minister conduct a proper analysis of the effects of cloud seeding. Why was it done secretly? This secrecy only deepens suspicion.”
Pointing to the lack of transparency, he further added, “If the government is claiming that it has conducted cloud seeding — the first time ever in history — then it should have done it in a grand manner. Invite all media houses, record videos, and broadcast them on television; that would have earned them praise. But instead, the BJP is busy patting itself on the back, saying, ‘We did cloud seeding, see the video, it was successful, flares were fired.’ Either there was some serious doubt that the BJP could not answer, or there was another reason altogether. There is definitely something fishy in this matter.” Calling the BJP a “reel-making government,” Sanjeev Jha said, “The BJP keeps promoting itself through reels at every step. Chhath Puja is around the corner, but the condition of ghats is pathetic. Yet, BJP ministers are taking boat rides in the Yamuna and making reels. But cloud seeding was hidden. I warn the BJP government, its Chief Minister, and the Environment Minister not to take the people of Burari and nearby areas lightly. The BJP cannot risk people’s lives to fulfil its own political motives. Why didn’t the government give detailed information about the impact? If the BJP believes there is no harmful effect, then let environmental experts explain what impact it could have and which chemicals were used. How dangerous are these chemicals?”
Specific questions, he pointedly asked
Raising specific questions, he pointedly asked, “Where exactly did the cloud seeding take place? Where were the flares fired? Which chemicals were used, how dangerous were they, and in what quantities? Cloud seeding involves the use of silver iodide, and if its concentration increases, it can harm the eyes, respiratory system, and skin. Yet, the government did not provide prior information or issue any warning. What was the cost of this exercise? How much control over pollution will it achieve? And why were only North-East Delhi or Burari chosen? The BJP must give detailed answers to these questions.” Attacking the BJP’s seriousness over pollution control, the senior AAP leader said, “The BJP government is not serious about tackling pollution. On Diwali night, pollution monitoring stations and equipment were not working. Media reports said that devices were faulty and data was unavailable. The ongoing data investigation raises questions about the government’s intentions. The government has no real desire to provide clean air to Delhi’s people. BJP leaders have installed air purifiers in their homes and offices but have left the public to breathe poisonous air. If the government were serious, it would have arranged air purifiers for the public as well.”
BJP of its unfulfilled promises
Reminding the BJP of its unfulfilled promises, Sanjeev Jha said, “The BJP had promised to buy 1,000 sprinklers and air smog guns after forming the government, but even after nine months, they are nowhere to be seen. Mechanical sweeping machines are missing from the roads. When Delhi had an Aam Aadmi Party government, sprinklers and sweeping machines used to operate regularly. Today, nothing is visible. This makes it clear that the government’s intention is not to end pollution. The BJP government’s drama around cloud seeding may further harm the health of Delhi’s residents. The government must stop playing with the health and lives of Delhi’s people.”
