Delhi pollution row: Opposition questions missing AQI data, BJP blames 25 years of Congress, AAP rule

Delhi's post-Diwali pollution crisis has triggered a political confrontation, with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the BJP-led government of failing to enforce pollution-control measures and questioning the disappearance of real-time air-quality data. The BJP, in turn, accused the Opposition of targeting Hindu festivals over pollution while failing to address the problem during its years in power. The political exchange comes amid a thick blanket of smoke across Delhi-NCR following Diwali celebrations, with visibility falling and air quality deteriorating to the 'severe' category in several locations.

Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 373 at 11.05 pm on Sunday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data available on the Sameer application. Eight monitoring locations, including Alipur, Bawana, Burari, Chandni Chowk, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Vivek Vihar, recorded AQI levels above 400. The controversy over pollution data has further intensified the political exchange. Several monitoring stations reportedly stopped displaying real-time readings even as pollution levels climbed. These included RK Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar and Dwarka, according to a report by news agency IANS.

Congress questions missing pollution data Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that PM2.5 readings were unavailable at 25 of Delhi's 39 monitoring stations between 2 am and 3 am. "Is the government suppressing the data? Were the monitors deliberately switched off? Or was the pollution so dangerously high that it exceeded the measuring capacity of the equipment?" Khera wrote in a post on X. He said the Delhi government owed residents an explanation, adding that the absence of pollution readings did not mean the pollution itself had disappeared. Khera also referred to a 2019 report in which the Supreme Court had reprimanded the Centre and state governments over Delhi's deteriorating air quality, questioning why residents were being forced to live in a "gas chamber".

The Congress leader said political blame-shifting over pollution was not new, recalling how the AAP and BJP had traded accusations while Delhi residents continued to suffer. AAP alleges AQI data fraud, targets artificial rain plan AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also accused the government of manipulating pollution data. In a video shared on social media, he claimed that the AQI had crossed 3,000. However, this was not an official citywide AQI reading. "Govt is doing AQI Data Fraud," Bharadwaj alleged, warning that under-reporting pollution levels could expose residents to serious health risks, including asthma attacks, heart attacks and respiratory failure.

He also questioned the Rekha Gupta government's proposal to use artificial rain to tackle pollution, particularly after weather forecasts indicated that Western Disturbances could bring rainfall to parts of northern India. The Delhi government had planned cloud-seeding operations if pollution worsened after Diwali and Chhath Puja. Two trials had been conducted in the preceding 15 days, including one near Delhi airport. However, experts have cautioned that artificial rain may offer temporary relief during severe pollution episodes but cannot address the sources of emissions responsible for the city's air-quality crisis.

BJP accuses Opposition of targeting Hindu festivals Responding to the Opposition's allegations, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal accused the Congress and other parties of selectively raising pollution concerns during Hindu festivals. "It has become a trend among the Congress and other Opposition parties to find faults with Sanatan festivals whenever they take place. They start talking about pollution," Khandelwal said. He argued that both the Congress and the AAP had failed to take adequate measures to address Delhi's pollution during their respective tenures. Pointing out that the Congress governed Delhi for 15 years, followed by the AAP for 10 years, Khandelwal said neither party had taken sufficient steps when long-term interventions could have been implemented.

"During these 25 years, when the most work should have been done to tackle pollution, neither the Congress nor the AAP took even a single step. The people of Delhi are bearing the consequences today," he said. What are the restrictions in place? The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had invoked Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) ahead of Diwali as a pre-emptive measure to contain pollution. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court had permitted the use of certified green firecrackers during specified hours on November 7 and 8. The complete ban on firecrackers was scheduled to return from November 9.