A war of words has erupted between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party over the poor air quality in Delhi after Diwali.
Thick smog blanketed national capital, a day after people celebrated Diwali with fireworks, sending air pollution levels soaring to hazardous levels across the city.
By Tuesday morning, the city’s Air Quality Index had climbed above 350 in several neighbourhoods, a level considered “severe” and dangerous to breathe, according to the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum exposure.
Visibility also dropped in some parts of the city as a grey haze enveloped streets, high-rises and historical monuments.
The Aam Aadmi Party has questioned the Delhi government, asking why the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta government did not induce artificial rain through cloud seeding to reduce pollution when the air quality had deteriorated so much.
However, Delhi's Environment Minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, explained that cloud seeding can only happen when there are already clouds in the sky.
Does the BJP government want to make people sick: Bhardwaj
AAP leader and former Delhi government minister Saurabh Bhardwaj attacked the Delhi government, asking why artificial rain was not implemented. Does the BJP government want to make people sick?
Saurabh Bhardwaj asked whether the BJP's claim of reducing pollution by creating artificial rain the day after Diwali was false.
He also alleged that the Delhi government is in collusion with the firecracker lobby, otherwise banned firecrackers would not be sold in the presence of police.
Seeding can only happen when there are clouds: Sirsa
On cloud seeding, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "For those who are asking us why we are not conducting cloud seeding, I want to tell them that cloud seeding involves clouds first, and then seeding. Seeding can only happen when there are clouds. The day there are clouds, we will conduct seeding and it will rain."
Sirsa said, "I want to show you how the Aam Aadmi Party is deliberately forcing farmers in Punjab to burn stubble while covering their faces so that this smoke will impact Delhi."
Prakash Kumar Pandey