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New Delhi: Former IPS officer and ex-Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi has made an emotional public appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to personally intervene in Delhi’s worsening air pollution crisis by holding regular virtual review meetings with chief ministers of neighbouring states.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Bedi directly tagged @PMOIndia and invoked her past administrative experience with the Prime Minister’s leadership.
“Sir please forgive me for pleading again,” she wrote, recalling Modi’s “very effective Zoom sessions” during her tenure as Puducherry LG. She credited those virtual reviews for ensuring strict accountability and time-bound execution during multiple national challenges.
“I witnessed how you got everybody to deliver and perform time-bound,” she said.
Proposal for Monthly PM-Led Pollution Review
Bedi suggested that a fixed monthly Zoom review involving the Prime Minister, chief ministers, and chief secretaries of the five neighbouring states could serve as a robust pressure mechanism to enforce accountability and prevent further deterioration of air quality in the capital.
She said such direct oversight at the highest level would send a strong message to the system and reassure citizens that the crisis was being taken seriously.
“It will give us hope because we will know it’s under your oversight. People can heave a sense of relief,” she wrote.
‘Mann Ki Baat’ Appeal Suggested
Bedi also urged the Prime Minister to use the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ platform to directly engage citizens across all age groups on their responsibility in controlling pollution. She cited the example of people voluntarily giving up their LPG subsidy after Modi’s appeal.
“The APL citizens’ response to surrendering LPG subsidy showed how public participation can be mobilised with the right leadership push,” she noted.
‘Delhi Was Waiting for a Double Engine’ Remark
In a politically pointed remark, Bedi invoked the BJP’s “double-engine government” phrase, often used during election campaigns.
“Delhi was waiting for a ‘double engine’ in this respect too — to undo the damage done over the last 10 years,” she wrote, in an apparent reference to the long-standing political blame game over governance in the capital.
Pollution Crisis Deepens in Capital
Bedi’s appeal comes at a time when Delhi continues to choke under severe air pollution, with hazardous air quality levels triggering health warnings, court interventions, school closures, and mounting public anxiety. The crisis has once again ignited debates over inter-state coordination, political accountability, and administrative failure in tackling one of the capital’s most persistent public health emergencies.
