Political blame game erupts as Delhi's air pollution hits record levels

Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of smog on Monday (November 9), with air quality deteriorating to the ‘severe’ category in several parts of the national capital. As pollution levels soared after Diwali, the BJP and Opposition parties traded accusations over the causes of the crisis, with the ruling party blaming farm fires in Punjab, and the AAP and the Congress alleging that the government was manipulating pollution data.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of orchestrating farm fires in Punjab to worsen the pollution situation in the national capital. He alleged that an investigation into the incidents could even lead to the arrest of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Also read: Delhi records highest post-Diwali AQI since 2021, Chennai’s air quality in ‘poor’ category

AAP and Congress, meanwhile, accused the BJP government of suppressing actual pollution readings, claiming that several monitoring stations had stopped displaying real-time data as air quality worsened during and after Diwali.

Delhi records severe pollution

According to AQI.in, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi touched 663 at 8.01 am on Monday, after peaking at 1,331 at 1.31 pm. The morning reading was around 69 per cent higher than the 393 recorded on October 21, 2025, a day after Diwali.

The overall AQI across 20 monitoring systems stood at 370 at 10 pm on Sunday (November 8). Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years, with the average AQI at 376. The situation remained largely unchanged on Monday morning, when the reading stood at 371 at 10 am.

Of the 51 monitoring stations that recorded data, 14 were in the ‘severe’ category, four in the ‘poor’ category and the remaining 33 in the ‘very poor’ category. Delhi Technological University (DTU) recorded the highest AQI of 439. Alipur, Bawana, Burari, Chandni Chowk, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Vivek Vihar were among the areas where the AQI crossed 400.

BJP blames Punjab farm fires

The BJP pointed to high AQI readings in Punjab to argue that farm fires were contributing to Delhi’s pollution. Mishra cited readings from Malout, Abohar and Sangrur, the home constituency of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Also read: Indian cities dominate world’s most-polluted 150 on Diwali evening; 6 cross AQI 1000

“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 alleged that the fires had been deliberately set by AAP leaders to worsen pollution in Delhi and demanded an investigation by the Punjab government. “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,” Mishra said.

Opposition alleges data manipulation

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the BJP government of suppressing actual pollution readings. In a post on social media, he alleged that several air-quality monitoring stations had been switched off.

Media reports also said that a number of monitoring stations had stopped displaying real-time data as pollution levels rose. The affected locations reportedly included RK Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar and Dwarka.

“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 posted on X.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj made a similar allegation, sharing a video that he claimed showed the AQI crossing 3,000. However, this was not an official citywide AQI reading. “Govt is doing AQI Data Fraud,” Bharadwaj wrote, warning that underreporting pollution levels could expose residents to serious health risks, including heart attacks, asthma attacks and respiratory failure.

Also read: Why Delhi’s discourse on air pollution seems to have moved from action to adaptation

He also criticised the Rekha Gupta government over its proposal to induce artificial rain, following forecasts that Western Disturbances could bring rainfall to parts of northern India.

BJP targets Opposition

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of raising pollution concerns during Hindu festivals. “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.

(With agency inputs)