Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has called air pollution in north India a national emergency and appealed to fellow MPs to come together on this issue in the upcoming Parliament session and discuss how the nation can end this crisis once and for all.

He said the air pollution crisis requires a collective national response, not political blame game. Gandhi shared a video on Twitter in which he is discussing the issue of air pollution with environmentalist Vimalend Jha at India Gate. In his post along with the video, the Congress leader said that air pollution in north India is a national emergency. A public health crisis that is robbing our children of their future and suffocating our elderly. It is also an environmental and economic disaster that is ruining countless lives.

Poor people suffer the most: Rahul

"The poorest among us suffer the most, unable to escape the toxic air around them. Families are yearning for clean air, children are falling sick and millions are dying. Tourism is declining and our global reputation is eroding," the former Congress president said.

He said, 'The cloud of pollution extends for hundreds of kilometres. To clean it up, major changes and decisive action will be needed from governments, companies, experts and citizens. We need a collective national response, not political blame game.'

call for a discussion together

He said that when the Parliament is going to meet in a few days, burning eyes and sore throat will remind all the MPs of the crisis. Gandhi said, 'It is our responsibility to come together and discuss how India can end this crisis forever.'

In the video, the Congress leader asks Jha about the causes of the air pollution crisis, who replies that it is an all-India problem and has two sources in NCR - episodic sources and perennial sources. Jha emphasised that stubble burning is an issue but only for three weeks and farmers need to be given incentives. The environmentalist, in a conversation with Gandhi, called for lifestyle changes to tackle the air pollution crisis. The winter session of Parliament is starting from November 25 and will continue till December 20.