Opposition Claims Data Fraud As Delhi Chokes Post Diwali, BJP Blames '25 Years Of Inaction'

Delhi minister and BJP leader Kapil Mishra has accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders of "orchestrating" farm fires in Punjab to worsen Delhi's pollution, alleging that an investigation into the incidents could even lead to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. The post-Diwali pollution crisis in the national capital has now turned into a political battle. The Opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have also accused the BJP government of weak enforcement and suppressing air-quality data.

The ruling party in its response charged the Opposition with finding fault with Hindu festivals after not tackling the problem during 25 years in power, with BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal accusing the Opposition parties of selectively raising pollution only during Hindu festivals.

The war of words comes as a thick layer of smoke covers Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) after Diwali celebrations, reducing visibility and taking air pollution into the 'severe' category at several locations. Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 373 at 11.05 pm on Sunday, according to Central Pollution Control Board data published on the Sameer application. Alipur, Bawana, Burari, Chandni Chowk, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Vivek Vihar were among the areas where the AQI crossed 400.

Several monitoring stations stopped displaying real-time data while pollution levels were rising, reports said. The affected locations included RK Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar and Dwarka, news agency IANS reported.

The BJP, however, pointed at the authorities in Punjab as the main culprits.

"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 this morning.

"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.

"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.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said PM2.5 readings were unavailable at 25 of Delhi's 39 monitoring stations between 2 am and 3 am. "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.

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

Khera also shared a 2019 report in which the Supreme Court had reprimanded the Centre and the states over Delhi's toxic air and asked why people were being forced to live in a "gas chamber". The court had then directed the Centre and the Delhi government to put aside their differences and finalise a plan for 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.

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AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj made a similar charge, posting a video which he claimed showed that the AQI had crossed 3,000. The figure was not an official citywide AQI reading.

"Govt is doing AQI Data Fraud," Bharadwaj said, warning that pollution being shown below actual levels could expose residents to heart attacks, asthma attacks and respiratory failure. He also targeted the Rekha Gupta government over its artificial-rain proposal after forecasts indicated that Western Disturbances could bring rain to parts of northern India.

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

The Delhi government had planned cloud seeding if pollution worsened after Diwali and Chhath Puja. Two trials had been conducted in the preceding 15 days, including one near Delhi airport. But experts have said artificial rain may temporarily reduce pollution during an extreme episode but cannot address emissions at their source.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said the Opposition raises the issue of pollution only 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.

He said the Congress governed Delhi for 15 years and the AAP for the next 10 but failed to take adequate action when long-term measures should have been implemented. "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.

Delhi: On Congress leader Alka Lamba's tweet on air pollution, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal says, "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. Congress was in power in Delhi for 15 years, followed by the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal for 10 years. 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..."

— IANS (@ians_india) November 9, 2026

The Commission for Air Quality Management had imposed Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan before Diwali as a "pre-emptive" measure. The Supreme Court had allowed certified green firecrackers between specified hours on November 7 and 8, with the complete ban returning on November 9.