The BJP alleged that the AAP government had failed to implement the firecracker ban aimed at curbing pollution in Delhi, claiming the air quality index (AQI) was in the "hazardous" category on Diwali and on Tuesday morning.
BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga also shared on social media several videos of people defying the firecracker ban on Diwali to take a dig at the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana claimed that the AQI was in the "hazardous" category on the day of the festival and on Tuesday.
Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri challenged Chief Minister Kejriwal's claim that pollution has reduced in Delhi. Bidhuri claimed that Delhi is the most polluted capital of the world. "Delhi was the world's most polluted capital city even on Diwali and remained in the top 10 on Tuesday as well," he asserted.
Bidhuri said Kejriwal should prove his claim right or else resign for lying. "If my claim is false, I will quit," he said. According to forecasting agencies, the air quality in Delhi on the morning after Diwali was recorded in the ''very poor'' category but the situation was relatively better than previous years due to favourable meteorological conditions which diluted the effect of firecrackers and stubble burning.
Using the hashtag ''DhuaHuaKejriwal'', Bagga, among several videos, shared on Twitter clips of a boy and some other people bursting firecrackers. In the run up to Diwali, BJP leaders had targeted the Delhi government over the complete ban on firecrackers, dubbing the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation "anti-Hindu".
Questioning Kejriwal on the results of the firecracker ban, Khurana claimed that even last year the AQI was in the "severe" category just like this time. The Delhi government had in September announced a complete ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, 2023, including on Diwali, a practice it has been following for the last two years.
"What did you get out of cracker ban on Diwali? Last year, the AQI was 444 on the next day after Diwali and today it is 425. It was in hazardous category then and is in the same category today as well. You should accept that you have failed to stop pollution in Delhi," Khurana said in a tweet in Hindi. Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra said on Twitter "selective ban against Hindu festivals will never work", while sharing a video of fireworks dotting the skyline of the national capital.
"This will happen whenever unsuccessful governments and judiciary will pin the blame for pollution on children. Happy Diwali. Thank You Delhi," he said in a tweet. According to the agencies, the city is set to record its best air quality for the day after Diwali since 2015 on Tuesday.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said there was 30 per cent less pollution on Diwali in the national capital as compared to last year and the city recorded its best air quality for the day after the festival in five years. He claimed that the AQI stood at 323 on Tuesday as compared to 462 last year.
The capital's AQI stood at 310 at 11 pm on Monday. It increased to 326 by 6 am on Tuesday, remained stable till 9 am and started decreasing thereafter, according to the agencies. Delhi had recorded an AQI of 382 on Diwali last year, 414 in 2020, 337 in 2019, 319 in 2017, and 431 in 2016, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.
The city recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 312 at 4 pm on Monday — the second best for Diwali day in seven years. Before this, the city recorded an AQI of 281 on Diwali in 2018. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ''good'', 51 and 100 ''satisfactory'', 101 and 200 ''moderate'', 201 and 300 ''poor'', 301 and 400 ''very poor'', and 401 and 500 ''severe''.
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