Delhi's Political Battle Intensifies as Diwali Celebration Sparks Air Quality Crisis and BJP-AAP Clash

New Delhi:

The arrival of Diwali, coinciding with Delhi's traditional smog season, has ignited the anticipated political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party. With air quality deteriorating dramatically overnight, AAP has found its opportunity to accuse the BJP government of failing to control pollution levels. These accusations include allegations of manipulating pollution data and not preventing illegal firecracker sales.

BJP has responded by claiming that AAP's primary objective is to tarnish Diwali's reputation.

Delhi's Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa launched a scathing critique of AAP, stating: "Their aim is to defame Diwali. Who are the religious people who are forcing them to make this statement? Why would any common man speak against any religion?"

Sirsa also directed criticism toward Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, accusing it of aligning with AAP and adopting an anti-Diwali stance.

"Akhilesh-ji also has only one purpose to get votes, that is to get the Hindus out... What did he say? 'Christmas should be celebrated like Diwali'," he alleged.

While acknowledging that Christmas deserves its own unique celebration, he questioned: "How can you say that Diwali be celebrated that way? How can you say that no lamps should be lit in Diwali? No worship should be done in Diwali? All kinds of Christian systems should be adopted?"

Dense, hazardous smog has enveloped New Delhi following Diwali celebrations, with pollution levels escalating to "serious" categories.

For AAP, this presents a long-awaited opportunity, particularly after its inability to address smog and Yamuna river pollution contributed significantly to its electoral defeat earlier this year.

Sirsa challenged AAP's expectations that BJP could resolve the smog crisis in mere months when AAP failed to do so during its decade in power.

"Those who have been running it (the government) for 10 years, if they are raising questions today, then they should be booked and put in jail. You have been running it for 10 years. You left the problem. We didn't bring it with us," he added.

Dismissing AAP's allegations, he maintained that pollution data remains accurate and suggested that street dust sweeping efforts were actually affecting the Air Quality Index (AQI). When questioned about AAP's inquiries regarding cloud seeding, he responded that clouds must first be present before any seeding can occur.