'…not Diwali's firecrackers': BJP blames AAP-ruled Punjab as Delhi gasps for air amid toxic haze

After Diwali, Delhi faced severe smog and hazardous air quality, with AQI hitting 'very poor'.

The morning after Diwali, Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog, reduced visibility, and hazardous air. With the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) plunging into the ‘very poor’ category, the political blame game over pollution has reignited, this time between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s AQI stood at 352 at 8am, compared with 346 at 5am and 351 at 7am

BJP blames AAP for stubble burning

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya blamed AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for failing to curb stubble burning in Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party is in power.

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“Unless Arvind Kejriwal–ruled Punjab stops burning stubble, Delhi and NCR will continue to choke. Stop blaming Deepawali for the sins of the Aam Aadmi Party — it’s their smoke, not the festival’s lamps or firecrackers, that darkens Delhi’s skies,” Amit Malviya posted on X.

Malviya’s remarks came as air quality in the capital dipped sharply following Monday night’s festivities, with fireworks continuing beyond the Supreme Court’s permitted two-hour window.

AAP slams Delhi govt

Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday, launched a scathing attack on the government, accusing it of failing to control pollution following Diwali celebrations and questioned as to why the “promised artificial rain was not conducted”.

Speaking to ANI, Bharadwaj said the government has a collusion with private hospitals. "The government lies. The government said that after Diwali, we would fix all the pollution by conducting artificial rain. Did artificial rain happen? No, my question is that if you could have conducted artificial rain, then why didn't you do it? Do you (the government) want people to fall ill. The government has a collusion with private hospitals," he said.

Delhi minister blames people of Delhi

Amid the political back-and-forth, Delhi minister Ashish Sood said it was unfair to blame only firecrackers for the pollution spike, while stressing that citizens should have adhered to the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

“The AQI in Anand Vihar at around 5am was 943 and 390 in Shahdara. Only firecrackers are not responsible for pollution in Delhi. However, I believe people should have followed the SC’s order to burst crackers before 10pm,” Sood told news agenyc PTI.

“Delhi has no weather of its own; many factors determine the weather and pollution levels here, and adjacent states also have a role to play,” he added.

TMC MP calls for self-reflection

Senior journalist and Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose struck a different tone, urging citizens to look inward and acknowledge their role in worsening the city’s pollution.

“Toxic smoke across Delhi this morning. Over 200,000 in Delhi have been rushed to hospital with emergency ARI (Acute Respiratory Illness) in the last year. We must collectively ask ourselves & introspect why we voluntarily choose to harm our own health,” she wrote.

Mahua Moitra joins the debate

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also weighed in, taking a swipe at both the administration and enforcement failures.

“Guess Punjab farmers didn’t sleep on Sunday night — they burnt stubble to choke Delhi. Meanwhile, 90% of crackers sold were normal stamped with fake green label since no differentiation mechanism exists. AQI? IQ? Test basis? Supreme Court Zindabad,” Moitra wrote on X.

‘Very poor’ air quality across the capital

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s AQI stood at 352 at 8am, compared with 346 at 5am and 351 at 7am. An AQI between 301 and 400 is classified as ‘very poor’, while anything above 400 is considered ‘severe’.

As per CPCB’s data, 36 of the 38 monitoring stations across Delhi recorded pollution levels in the ‘red zone’. Monday’s 24-hour average AQI was 345, also in the ‘very poor’ category.