New Delhi, Dec. 18 -- Samajwadi Party leader RK Chaudhary, in a peculiar remark on Thursday, claimed burning of dead bodies as a cause of air pollution.

Speaking to ANI, Chuadhary also cited the burning of wood during the Holika Dahan festival as a source of pollution, adding that his remarks are not religious but environmental.

The Samajwadi Party leader said, "When bodies are burnt, they release carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and it burns oxygen in the atmosphere. Even during the lighting of fire on Holika Dahan, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released. Our country is not serious about air pollution. This is not about religion but the environment."

In response to his remark, Union Minister Giriraj Singh asked him to conv...