NEW DELHI: The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday traded words over high air toxicity levels in Delhi following Diwali celebrations. Countering the AAP’s charge that the BJP government had not stopped the illegal sale of regular firecrackers in Delhi, the BJP accused the AAP government in Punjab of forcing farmers to burn stubble to further pollute the air.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned why data on PM2.5 and PM10 levels from Diwali night, October 20-21, was unavailable. “The firecracker business is worth crores of rupees, and this year the firecracker lobby has earned enormous profits. Who shared in those profits?” he asked, accusing the Delhi government of collusion to allow the sale of regular firecrackers despite the Supreme Court permitting only green crackers. Bharadwaj further accused the BJP government of neglecting public health, favoring private hospitals while government facilities suffered.
Bharadwaj also criticised Gupta’s understanding of pollution control. “When the chief minister cannot even pronounce AQI correctly, how can anyone expect her to have any grasp of pollution control?” he said. He added that the BJP government was deliberately weakening public healthcare while promoting private hospitals and clinics.
The BJP struck back swiftly. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the AAP government in Punjab of forcing farmers to burn crop residue, worsening Delhi’s air quality. “Farmers don’t want to burn stubble, but they were told to do so. This stubble burning is meant to impact Delhi,” he said. Sirsa also downplayed the role of Diwali crackers, “In 2023, AQI rose by 83 points after Diwali, in 2024 by 32 points, but this year, despite people freely celebrating, it rose by just 11 points. What do the numbers say now?”
Meanwhile, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav held the BJP government responsible for the hazardous air. He called the situation “extremely dangerous.” He said, “Despite repeated warnings, the government could not take stringent steps to control pollution,” and warned that continued toxic air could even affect tourism in the city.
