New Delhi: Political accusations between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have intensified over Delhi’s steadily worsening air quality. Questions are being raised from stubble burning in Punjab to the reliability of Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) monitoring stations. Both parties are blaming each other for the capital’s poor air.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of hiding data on stubble-burning incidents. He claimed that more than 900 stubble-burning incidents took place in Punjab between October 26 and November 1. Sirsa also alleged that despite FIRs being registered against farmers in Punjab, the state government is showing a decline in stubble-burning incidents through advertisements. He also questioned the role of Punjab Police and government officials, though these remain allegations.
The Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, hit back at the BJP government, saying Punjab farmers are being targeted to divert attention from the failure to control pollution in Delhi. AAP leaders claim that with farmers’ cooperation in Punjab, stubble-burning incidents have fallen by 90 to 95 percent. The party has also raised the issue of stubble-burning incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The controversy has now reached Delhi’s pollution monitoring system. AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video showing water being sprayed around an AQI monitoring station in Jahangirpuri and alleged that this could affect pollution readings. He questioned the purpose of spraying water around the station and the impartiality of the monitoring system. However, this claim has not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, according to Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi’s average AQI reached 350 on November 3, which falls in the very poor category. Unfavourable weather and smoke from stubble burning have been listed among the factors contributing to the rise in pollution.
Amid the political rhetoric, the challenge of clean air remains for Delhi residents. According to experts, tackling pollution requires effective control not only of stubble burning but also of other sources such as vehicles, construction activity and local dust.
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