Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, has blamed the AAP-led governments in Punjab and Delhi for the deteriorating air quality in North India, including Delhi NCR.

Claiming that the BJP-led state government in Haryana has successfully reduced instances of crop stubble burning, he questioned Arvind Kejriwal and the Punjab government on the action taken to curb similar instances in Punjab.

Accusing Kejriwal of being busy with election campaigning in poll-bound states and waking up to the situation late, Choubey said that the Centre had held a meeting with Chief Secretaries and senior officials from four North Indian states on 20th October to discuss measures to reduce air pollution, which he claims weren't adopted by the AAP-led governments.

Pointing out that GRAP 4 is already in place in Delhi, as construction has been banned and polluting vehicles and factories have been stopped from operating, he stated that the Centre may bring in regulations, but it is up to the states to implement them in a federal structure.

Asking the Delhi government why the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme wasn't imposed earlier, he said that it isn't fair for the Centre and states to point fingers at one another while working towards a resolution to the problem.

Dismissing the opposition's allegations of the misuse of CBI and ED, he alleged that the INDI alliance was attempting to defraud people by blaming the probe agencies in the liquor scam and the Mahadev app case.

Accusing the opposition alliance of supporting terrorists and promoting dynasties and the corrupt, he said that the probe agencies existed even when the Congress party was in power at the Centre, claiming that the Congress used to blame the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi even then.

He sounded confident about the BJP's prospects in the upcoming assembly elections in five states, forecasting a 2/3rd majority for the PM Modi-led combine in the 2024 General elections.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18 at the launch of the sale of subsidized Bharat Atta, he described the decision as the next in the series of retail interventions made by the government after pulses, tomatoes, and onions. Stating that the move will ease wheat's retail prices ahead of Diwali, Chhath Puja, and Annakoot, he claimed that the timely payment of MSP to farmers has alleviated their distress.