Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of deliberately targeting Diwali celebrations to divert attention from deeper pollution issues, alleging that the party’s stance is aimed at “appeasing a particular vote bank.”
Sirsa claimed that AAP was “fully focused on proving that Delhi’s pollution is caused by Diwali” to justify its proposed restrictions on traditional festivities such as lighting diyas and bursting firecrackers.
“Aam Aadmi Party is fully focused on proving that the pollution here in Delhi is due to Diwali. This is because they have a particular vote bank, whom they want to appease, and that’s why they are trying hard to prove that Diwali needs to be banned due to smoke from diyas and crackers,” Sirsa said.
Sirsa’s remarks come amid renewed debate over Delhi’s deteriorating air quality, which slipped into the “very poor” category soon after Diwali night. According to data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed modestly from 345 before Diwali to 356 afterward, sparking AAP’s claims that festivities worsened the smog.
However, Sirsa rejected the narrative as “selective outrage”, pointing to comparative data from previous years.
“The night before Diwali, the AQI was 345 — high, but lower than in previous years. In 2020, it was 414; in 2021, it was 382. Under our time, it was 345. After firecrackers were burst, the AQI rose to 356 — just an 11-point increase,” he explained. “Last year, when crackers were banned, AQI still jumped from 328 to 360.”
The minister, serving under the BJP-led Delhi government headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, argued that the data clearly shows a smaller pollution spike compared to AAP’s previous years in power. He accused the opposition of “dishonesty” for ignoring major contributors such as stubble burning and industrial emissions.
“It’s dishonest to solely blame firecrackers for pollution. The opposition is focused on saying ‘Diwali, Hindus, and Sanatanis are responsible for pollution.’ They are trying to communalise the issue,” Sirsa said. “If they were fair, they would have raised this yesterday too when AQI was 345, but they didn’t.”
Taking a jibe at AAP’s credibility, Sirsa sarcastically said the BJP cannot compete with AAP’s “propaganda machinery.”
“In front of Kejriwal and his team’s lies, we fold our hands. We don’t even claim to match them. Big names have surrendered before them. Their lies are unmatched,” he remarked.
Sirsa further asserted that the pollution data is transparent and publicly available, dismissing AAP’s allegations of data manipulation.
“The data is public — from CPCB and DPCC. Every minute’s data is online. But they want to control it. They thought AQI would rise sharply, and they could blame Diwali. In the morning they blamed the festival, and by evening, they said the data was fake. If the data is fake, how is pollution even real?” he asked.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) readings, Delhi’s average AQI stood at 351 post-Diwali. While Lodhi Road recorded 343, Sirifort was at 274, and neighbouring Greater Noida and Ghaziabad logged 282 and 324, respectively.
