Delhi Minister Apologizes for Severe Pollution Crisis as BJP and AAP Exchange Blame Over Air Quality Management

New Delhi:

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has pointed fingers at the Aam Aadmi Party for Delhi's pollution crisis, stating that it is "impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in 9-10 months." He declared, "This disease of pollution is given to us by the Aam Aadmi Party, and we are working to fix it."

"I apologise for the pollution in Delhi," Sirsa added, while asserting that the BJP government is "doing better work than the dishonest AAP government, and we have reduced AQI each day."

The minister's comments come as the national capital remains in the "very poor" AQI category - an improvement from the "Severe" classification that persisted from December 13 to 15.

Delhi's overall AQI currently registers at 381. Wazipur has recorded the highest AQI at 434, followed closely by Jahangirpuri at 430. Anand Vihar and Ashok Vihar also fall within the severe category according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

In November, "Severe" AQI conditions dominated for an extended period - specifically from November 11 to 26, based on Central Pollution Control Board data.

The ongoing pollution crisis has ignited a significant political confrontation between AAP and the ruling BJP.

AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj has raised questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the pollution issue. Meanwhile, the Congress party has demanded immediate discussions on air pollution in the Lok Sabha. The dispute intensified when the Singapore government issued an advisory for its citizens in India.

Bhardwaj shared this advisory on social media platform X, captioning it: "Chachi brings International Embarrassment for India. Singapore High Commission warns its citizens against Delhi Pollution."

In response, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor described this as a "normal thing -- whenever pollution rises, all governments issue advisories to their citizens and diplomats."

He followed with a pointed remark: "In 2015 & 2016, when @ArvindKejriwal's government was in power in Delhi, at that time foreign governments didn't just reduce the posting duration for their staff in Delhi but also declared Delhi a No Family Station. Saurabh bhai, do politics but not so low that the mud splashes back on you."

AAP's Bhagwant Mann, Punjab's Chief Minister, countered these accusations by stating, "The AQI of every city of Punjab is between 70-100 -- much lower than the AQI of Delhi. Stop blaming us for pollution."