AAP accuses BJP of instigating people to burst crackers in Delhi

Accusing the BJP of instigating people to burst firecrackers on Diwali to increase air pollution in Delhi, the ruling AAP on Monday said that the saffron party has "a habit of" opposing everything that the Kejriwal government does. But Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta hit back, saying the Aam Aadmi Party is making these claims to "distract" people from its failures to curb air pollution to a manageable level. Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said BJP leaders should think about their families before bursting crackers.

"It is a habit of BJP to oppose everything that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal does. But they should stop instigating people to increase pollution in the national capital. It is shameful that the ruling party is politicising sensitive issues like pollution," Singh said.

Referring to Manoj Tiwari

He was apparently referring to Delhi unit BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who posted a video on Twitter where he could be seen lighting earthen lamps and bursting firecrackers with people in unauthorised colonies. Gupta said the AAP is making such claims because its government has not done any ground work in Delhi. "Controlling pollution needs work all through the year. The AAP has not done that and now to distract people from its own failures it is making such comments". 

Delhi's air pollution skyrocketed after Diwali. A layer of haze enveloped the national capital as the city's air quality plummeted to the "severe" category for the first time this season. The overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 463 at 11.30 am, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). The AQI at Pusa, Lodhi Road, Airport Terminal T3, Noida, Mathura Road, Ayanagar, IIT Delhi, Dhirpur, and Chandni Chowk was 480, 436, 460, 668, 413, 477, 483, 553 and 466, respectively.