BJP, AAP spar over Delhi pollution

While the government said that the pollution levels were in control, the opposition alleged that the govt “manipulated and concealed” Delhi’s air quality data

A war of words erupted between the Delhi government and the opposition parties over air pollution in the Capital on Wednesday. While the government said that the pollution levels were in control, the opposition parties alleged that the government “manipulated and concealed” Delhi’s air quality data on Diwali night by shutting down pollution monitoring stations across the capital.

Firecracker bursting was allowed in Delhi this year. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

Chief minister Rekha Gupta said that the pollution levels had not risen unexpectedly and were less than in previous years.

“We have all seen the data. If we compare the data of the next day of Diwali with the previous years, the number (air quality index) has decreased. Although permission was granted to burst firecrackers, the gap (in the AQI) between the dates of Diwali and the next day has decreased, indicating a decrease in pollution. The government is doing whatever is possible for Delhi,” Gupta said.

However, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the government displayed an air quality index (AQI) of around 350, while the “actual level had spiked beyond 1,700”.

“This is data theft at the government level, a criminal offence and contempt of Supreme Court orders,” Bharadwaj said, accusing the government of misleading citizens into believing the air was safe.

He cited reports of several monitoring stations, including those at Nehru Nagar and Siri Fort, showing extreme pollution levels before going offline. “When you remove readings like 1,700 or 1,800 from the data set, the daily average AQI drops. The government is deceiving Delhiites to falsely claim credit for cleaner air,” he said.

He also condemned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers’ remarks blaming Punjab farmers for Delhi’s pollution. “To say Sikh farmers burned stubble to defame Diwali is shameful. They must apologise,” he said, adding that stubble burning incidents in Punjab had fallen by over 90% since 2021, contributing barely 1% to Delhi’s pollution.

AAP leaders also shared screenshots on social media of a recent tender by the Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) placing orders for 15 air purifiers worth over ₹5 lakh. “The government is buying air purifiers worth lakhs to keep the ministers’ rooms in the Delhi secretariat pollution-free while the people of Delhi, including the elderly and children, are forced to breathe polluted air,” AAP legislator Sanjeev Jha said.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that AAP paid the price in the last assembly elections for attempting to stop Sanatan (Hindu) traditions, such as bursting crackers on Diwali and performing Chhath Puja by the riverbanks, but the party still does not seem willing to change its malicious strategy.

“It is unfortunate that AAP leaders have not learned any lesson from the public message they received by losing the election and even today they continue to mislead Delhi residents with deceptive statements linking firecrackers to rising pollution,” Sachdeva said.