'How long will you sustain on cigarettes, bidis and cigars. Come and spend a few days in Delhi.'
Delhi is engulfed in a thick and toxic haze that has triggered a public health emergency, prompting the government to shut all schools in the national capital till November 5. The air quality continues to remain toxic, with the government issuing frequent advisories.
Amid this crisis, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday posted a picture on Twitter that sarcastically reflected the gravity of the situation in Delhi.
The picture showed Qutub Minar bundled in a cigarette box with a caption: "How long will you sustain on cigarettes, bidis and cigars. Come and spend a few days in Delhi-NCR: Delhi Tourism."
Below this picture, Tharoor wrote: "Delhi is injurious to health."
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) has slipped into the 'Severe Plus' category and the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority has declared a public health emergency, experts have advised people to urgently take steps to protect their health.
Delhi government has blamed governments in Haryana and Punjab for not stopping stubble-burning in their states, one of the major contributors to air pollution in the national capital. The governments of these two states, in return, blamed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for politicising the issue.