Delhi’s deteriorating air quality on Tuesday became a political slugfest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) each blaming the other for the crisis. Delhi woke up to a toxic haze the day after Diwali as firecrackers bursting continued overnight in violation of restrictions set by the Supreme Court last week.
At a press conference, Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the AAP-led government in Punjab was deliberately trying to increase air pollution in Delhi. “Over the past four days, stubble-burning incidents in Punjab have surged sharply — and this is no coincidence. Farmers are being pressured and provoked to burn stubble so that pollution in Delhi can be used politically to target the Delhi government.”
In response, AAP’s Delhi unit chief, Saurabh Bharadwaj called the allegations “shameful” and accused the government of “playing with the lives of people and children”.
“When asked about hiding pollution data by CPCB and DPCC in a press conference of a BJP minister, the response was evasive,” he said in a post on X. “I can say about the Punjab Sikh farmers that they would never conspire to defame Diwali, accusing them is shameful.”
“Sikh Gurus had given their lives for Hindus, accusing them is a sin,” he added.
AAP leader Gopal Rai said, “The BJP government is blaming neighbouring states for Delhi’s pollution, despite being in power.”
In separate posts, Bharadwaj questioned why PM2.5 and PM10 levels for Diwali night “were not available” in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. “Why did most DPCC Air pollution monitoring stations show missing data on Diwali night?”
Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed said the BJP government in Delhi had failed to implement the Supreme Court’s order. “CM @gupta_rekha and Delhi Police then failed to implement the court order, and crackers were burst till midnight. This toxic air is endangering children and the elderly. BJP government has completely failed Delhi and its people!”
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta also hit out at the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government, saying that they had imposed a blanket ban on firecrackers because they weren’t able to effectively implement any anti-pollution measures.
Gupta thanked the Supreme Court for allowing the bursting of green crackers, and appreciated the city residents for “celebrating responsibly and prioritising joy over pollution. The people placed their faith in the Delhi Government and celebrated Diwali with full enthusiasm. Our government remains deeply concerned about the pollution and has been taking effective measures to control it.”
Delhi education minister Ashish Sood said Delhi residents who broke the rules were responsible. “The people who broke the rule of not bursting crackers after 10pm are responsible, but it should also be understood that firecrackers are not the only cause of air pollution in Delhi. Many factors determine this, such as the events in adjoining states,” he said in a post on X.