Delhi air pollution: MLAs tie protective masks on Mahatma Gandhi's statue to protest AAP govt's inaction

Drama is pretty much inseparable from Indian politics. In politics, to make a point, "theatricality and deception are powerful agents", as Ra's al Ghul so aptly put it.In fact, Congress workers had even gone shirtless during a protest to illustrate that point. And now, in the latest edition of colourful political protests, two Delhi MLAs on Thursday tied a protective mask on a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, registering their protest against the Delhi government's "non-utilisation" of environment funds to combat air pollution.[caption id="attachment_4214301" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Two Delhi MLAs came up with their own unique way of protesting. PTI[/caption]Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Kapil Mishra, before being stopped and detained by the police, managed to put on one mask on the statue of Gandhi and another on that of a woman at Gyarah Murti sculpture near Mother Teresa Crescent on Saradar Patel Marg. The legislators were later released by the police.Sirsa, a SAD-BJP MLA, said that it was "shocking" that the Kejriwal government collected Rs 787 crore of environment cess but spent only Rs 93 lakh from it."People of Delhi are suffering from a serious crisis due to air pollution but Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is busy in his dramatics and running away from every responsibility," Sirsa said.Kapil Mishra is an MLA suspended by the Aam Aadmi Party earlier this year. The Gyarah Murti sculpture, including 11 statues, depicts the Dandi March of 1931, when Mahatma Gandhi led men and women, including some prominent leaders of the Independence movement.Now, pollution in Delhi is a serious problem. But it is difficult to take politicians seriously when they start dressing up statues in the national capital to make a point.With inputs from PTI