"AAP blaming Diwali for Delhi pollution to appease select vote bank", alleges Delhi Minister Sirsa

New Delhi [India], October 22 (ANI): Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Wednesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of scapegoating Diwali for the capital's rising pollution levels, alleging that the opposition's narrative is a ploy to appease a "particular vote bank" by pushing for a ban on the festival's traditions, including diyas and crackers.
"Aam Aadmi Party is fully focused on proving that the pollution here in Delhi is due to Diwali. This is because they have a particular vote bank, whom they want to appease, and that's why they are trying hard to prove that Diwali needs to be banned due to smoke from diyas and crackers, due to which pollution happens," Sirsa told ANI in an interview.
The minister's sharp retort comes amid a renewed blame game in Delhi, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) dipped slightly to 345 on the eve of Diwali but rose to 356 after the firecrackers, sparking accusations from AAP leaders that the festival exacerbates winter smog.
Sirsa dismissed this as selective outrage, pointing to historical data to underscore the limited impact of firecrackers.

"The night before Diwali, the AQI was 345, high, but lower than previous years. In 2020, it was 414; in 2021, it was 382. Under our time, it was 345. After firecrackers were burst on Diwali, the AQI rose to 356, an 11-point increase... Last year, the AQI a day before Diwali, when crackers were banned, was 328 and increased further afterwards to 360," Sirsa highlighted, arguing that the modest spike under the BJP-led Delhi government, now seven months into power under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, contrasts favourably with AAP's decade-long tenure.
Sirsa labelled the opposition's fixation as "dishonest", insisting firecrackers play a minor role compared to systemic issues like stubble burning in neighbouring states.
"It's dishonest to solely blame firecrackers for pollution. Yes, they may have had some effect, but the opposition is focused on 'Diwali, Hindus, and Sanatanis are responsible for pollution...' I do feel they are trying to (communalise the issue). If they were fair, they could have raised this yesterday as well; the AQI was 345 then, too, but they didn't tweet. They're also claiming the data is manipulated, but they also say we manipulate EVMs too," he remarked, drawing parallels to AAP's broader allegations of electoral fraud.
The Delhi Environmental Minister further lambasted AAP's "lies", invoking a dramatic admission of defeat in the face of their propaganda machine.
"In front of Kejriwal and his team's lies, we fold our hands. We don't even claim to match them. We admit, we're nothing in front of their lies. Big names have surrendered before them. Their lies are unmatched," Sirsa conceded with sarcasm, before pivoting to transparency.
"But the data is public, from CPCB, DPCC... Every minute's data is available online... But they want to control it... They thought AQI would shoot up, and they would create a ruckus against us. In the morning, they attempted to discredit Diwali, and in the evening, they claimed that the data was fake. If the data is fake, then how is pollution even real?" he said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 351 as of 4 pm on Tuesday, post Diwali celebrations.
The pollution rate at Lodhi Road was 343; meanwhile, in Sirifort, it was 274. The AQI in Greater Noida and Ghaziabad was 282 and 324, respectively.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. (ANI)