Air pollution is back in Delhi. A day after Diwali, the national capital was enveloped in toxic smog as Delhiites marked the festival with firecrackers despite partial restrictions and appeals by authorities. What also returned with the annual ritual was the political slugfest over pollution levels, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blaming each other for the plummeting air quality levels.
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 why the promised ‘artificial rain’ was not used to improve air quality.
आज Artificial Rain क्यों नहीं हुई?
सरकार ने कहा कि हम दिवाली के बाद आर्टिफिशियल
रेन कराकर सारा प्रदूषण ठीक कर देंगे। क्या आर्टिफिशियल रेन हुई?
क्या भाजपा सरकार चाहती हैं कि लोग बीमार हो…
भाजपा सरकार की निजी अस्पतालों के साथ सांठ-गांठ है, ये सरकारी अस्पताल बंद करेंगे pic.twitter.com/ZzEWkzvCFN
— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) October 21, 2025
Accusing the government of colluding with private hospitals, Bharadwaj said: “The government lies. The government said that after Diwali, we would fix all the pollution through artificial rain. Did that happen? No. My question is if you could have controlled it through artificial rain, why did you not do it? Do you want people to fall ill? The government is in collusion with private hospitals.”
The AAP leader’s comment invited the ire of the BJP, with party leader Amit Malviya blaming the Punjab government the rising air pollution in the national capital. In a post on X, Malviya said stubble burning in Punjab was a more significant contributor to the toxic smog in the Capital, and not crackers. “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. Their dark shadow still looms large over the Capital.”
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.
Their dark shadow still looms…
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 21, 2025
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi at 10am on Tuesday stood at 359. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.
Several residents complained of breathlessness, irritation in eyes and sore throat due to the pollution in the city.
In the run-up to Diwali, the Supreme Court had relaxed its blanket prohibition on bursting firecrackers and permitted the sale and use of green crackers with some restrictions.
Anticipating the situation post-Diwali, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had imposed Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the national capital on Sunday.
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