Delhi pollution sparks political war as Kapil Mishra accuses AAP of orchestrating Punjab farm fires

Delhi's post-Diwali air pollution crisis has triggered a fresh political confrontation, with BJP leader and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of deliberately orchestrating stubble-burning incidents in Punjab to worsen air quality in the national capital. Mishra alleged that an investigation into the farm fires could expose the involvement of AAP leaders and even lead to the arrest of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Opposition Congress and AAP, meanwhile, have accused the BJP-led Delhi government of failing to enforce pollution-control measures and allegedly withholding crucial air-quality data as the capital struggles with hazardous pollution.

The BJP has rejected the Opposition's criticism, accusing Congress and AAP of selectively targeting Hindu festivals over pollution while failing to address the problem during their respective tenures in power.

The political exchanges come as a thick blanket of smog continues to cover Delhi-NCR following Diwali celebrations, reducing visibility and pushing pollution levels into the severe category at several locations.

Kapil Mishra alleges AAP leaders orchestrated Punjab farm fires

Mishra has pointed towards a sharp increase in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab on Diwali, alleging that the fires were deliberately set to worsen Delhi's pollution.

Addressing the issue, the minister cited air-quality readings from several Punjab locations, including Malout, Abohar and Sangrur. He claimed that Abohar's AQI had reached 1,307, while Sangrur, the home constituency of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had recorded an alarming AQI of 1,651.

"Let's look at the AQI levels. This is from this morning in Malout, Punjab. Then there's Abohar, where the AQI has reached 1,307. And in Sangrur, the home constituency of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann himself, the AQI is 1,651," Mishra told NDTV.

He questioned the sudden increase in farm fires and alleged that unidentified people were entering farmers' fields, setting crop residue on fire and fleeing.

"This is the situation regarding fires in Punjab as of this morning. What is happening in Punjab? Who is setting fire to farmers' fields and then fleeing? Why are these fires being orchestrated? The phone records of Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, their leaders, and the 'gang' from the Aam Aadmi Party, who have come from Delhi and are now stationed in Punjab, should be examined. These are the people who have orchestrated these fires," he alleged.

Mishra also claimed that an investigation into the incidents could have serious political consequences for AAP leadership.

"If the truth behind these fires in Punjab comes to light, and if Bhagwant Mann conducts an honest investigation for the sake of Punjab's farmers, then it is quite possible that Kejriwal himself could end up in jail," he said.

His allegations came against the backdrop of Punjab recording its sharpest single-day spike in stubble burning this season on November 8. According to data compiled under the Indian Space Research Organisation's satellite-monitoring protocol, 1,152 fresh farm fires were reported in the state on Diwali, taking the seasonal tally from 3,307 to 4,459.

The increase of 34.8% in a single day has added to concerns over crop-residue burning and its contribution to pollution across northern India. However, the figures alone do not establish Mishra's allegation that the fires were deliberately orchestrated by AAP leaders.

Congress alleges missing pollution data at 25 monitoring stations

While the BJP has blamed Punjab's farm fires for worsening Delhi's air quality, Congress has questioned the reliability of the pollution-monitoring system in the capital.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that PM2.5 readings were unavailable at 25 of Delhi's 39 air-quality monitoring stations between 2 am and 3 am on November 9.

"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 demanded an explanation from the Delhi government, saying the absence of pollution readings did not mean that the pollution itself had disappeared.

"Whatever the reason, the government owes the people of Delhi an explanation. The fact that the data has gone missing doesn't mean the pollution has disappeared too," he said.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken also questioned the missing readings, claiming that the average PM2.5 concentration across the nine stations that continued recording data during the period was 576 micrograms per cubic metre. This was 38.4 times the World Health Organisation's 24-hour guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic metre.

He further pointed out that the average concentration at the same nine stations during the corresponding period on the previous Diwali was 562 micrograms per cubic metre.

Khera also referred to a 2019 Supreme Court observation on Delhi's pollution crisis, when the court had reprimanded the Centre and state governments over the capital's toxic air and questioned why residents were being forced to live in a "gas chamber".

The Supreme Court had then directed the Centre and the Delhi government to set aside their differences and finalise a plan for installing air-purifying towers within 10 days.

"Back then, there was always a ready excuse for Delhi's pollution. AAP blamed the BJP. The BJP blamed the AAP. And people continued to suffer and die," Khera said.

AAP alleges AQI data fraud, targets artificial rain proposal

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also accused the BJP government of manipulating pollution figures, sharing a video which he claimed showed the AQI crossing 3,000.

The figure, however, was not an official city-wide AQI reading.

"Govt is doing AQI Data Fraud," Bharadwaj said, warning that presenting pollution levels below their actual levels could expose residents to serious health risks, including heart attacks, asthma attacks and respiratory failure.

He also criticised the Rekha Gupta government over its proposal to use artificial rain to tackle Delhi's pollution.

The Delhi government had planned cloud-seeding operations if air quality deteriorated after Diwali and Chhath Puja. Two trials had been conducted during the preceding 15 days, including one near Delhi airport.

However, experts have cautioned that artificial rain can only provide temporary relief during an extreme pollution episode and cannot address the underlying sources of emissions.

Bharadwaj also referred to forecasts of rainfall in parts of northern India due to Western Disturbances, saying the Delhi government should not use the opportunity to promote its artificial-rain initiative.

"Now, the Rekha Gupta government can't use this opportunity to promote failed 'artificial rains'," he said.

BJP accuses Opposition of targeting Hindu festivals

The BJP has countered the Opposition's allegations, accusing Congress and AAP of raising pollution concerns selectively whenever Hindu festivals are celebrated.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said the Opposition parties were attempting to associate Hindu festivals with pollution while ignoring their own failure to implement long-term solutions when they were in power.

"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 pointed out that Congress governed Delhi for 15 years, followed by AAP's 10-year tenure, arguing that neither party had taken adequate steps to address the capital's pollution problem.

"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.

The BJP's response has shifted the political debate towards the responsibility of successive governments, with both the ruling party and Opposition trading accusations over their handling of Delhi's long-standing pollution crisis.

Delhi AQI reaches 373 as several areas record severe pollution

The political confrontation has unfolded amid a sharp deterioration in air quality across Delhi-NCR following Diwali celebrations.

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data available on the Sameer application, Delhi's overall AQI stood at 373 at 11.05 pm on Sunday, placing it in the very poor category. However, several monitoring locations recorded readings above 400, indicating severe pollution.

Alipur, Bawana, Burari, Chandni Chowk, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Vivek Vihar were among the areas where the AQI crossed the 400 mark.

Separate reports also raised questions about the availability of real-time pollution information, with monitoring stations in RK Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar and Dwarka among the locations where live data was reportedly unavailable.

The data concerns have gained further attention following reports of discrepancies between public-facing pollution displays and online dashboards. An India Today ground investigation on Monday found that a digital screen outside the India Meteorological Department office displayed an AQI of 143, while the CPCB dashboard showed approximately 343 for Lodhi Road around the same time. The source and update time of the two readings could not be established, making it unclear whether they were directly comparable.

GRAP Stage III restrictions in force ahead of Diwali

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had already invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on November 6 as a pre-emptive measure amid forecasts of worsening air quality.

The restrictions include curbs on construction and demolition activities, tighter controls on polluting vehicles and provisions for hybrid classes for younger schoolchildren, among other measures.

The Supreme Court had also permitted the use of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during specified hours on November 7 and 8, with the complete ban on firecrackers returning on November 9.

Despite these restrictions, firecracker emissions added to the existing pollution burden, while stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab further intensified concerns over the region's air quality.

With Delhi continuing to grapple with hazardous pollution, the latest political confrontation has once again brought the accountability of successive governments, enforcement of pollution-control measures and transparency in air-quality monitoring into focus.