Indian leader scandalously blames Pakistan of releasing 'poisonous gas' into New Delhi

When it comes to enviromental crises politicians are eager to opine about the “real reason” behind the issue.

Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vineet Agarwal Sharda has accused Pakistan and China of releasing “poisonous gas” into the country, causing the hazardous air pollution in New Delhi.

According to an independent online air quality index monitor AirVisual, New Delhi was the most polluted major city in the world, twice the level of Pakistan’s Lahore, which was a distant second.

He also noted that the two neighbouring countries are behind the record-breaking levels of smog because they are “afraid of India.”

"There is a possibility that this poisonous gas could have been released by any neighbouring country which is afraid of us. I feel that Pakistan or China are afraid of us" Sharda told ANI.

"We must seriously consider whether Pakistan has released any poisonous gas," he added.

A Chinese official, Lijian Zhao, slammed the controversial comment on Twitter, saying: "What a joker! China sometimes takes the blame, but this time it took the God class blame. One may not draw such a conclusion, even if he or she thinks by the feet".

There are many notorious examples across history of these gaffes and attempts in a post-truth era, mostly promoting anti-scientific views.

U.S President Ronald Reagan, who was notoriously forced to apologize for misleading the public opinion on the Iran-Contra crisis, sparked widespread derision at the beginning of the 1980s for claiming that "trees produce more air pollution than automobiles."

Back in September, U.S. President Donald Trump presented a map of Hurricane Dorian that appeared to have been altered with a "Sharpie pen" to include the state of Alabama.

More than 1,500 people gathered at India Gate, the war memorial at the centre of Delhi, to protest persistently high pollution levels and demand action from the federal and the state governments on Tuesday night.