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AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Delhi government over Delhi's deteriorating air quality, accusing it of “data theft” and cheating citizens by “manipulating” air quality readings on Diwali night.Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj claimed that as pollution levels started to rise on Diwali night, dozens of monitoring stations of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) were shut down.“They were closed till the time the wind didn’t start blowing in the morning. This is data theft. They are cheating poor Delhi citizens — people suffering from bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases. They are fooling them that the AQI is low,” he alleged.The AAP leader said that showing a lower Air Quality Index (AQI) misleads residents into thinking “they can go for morning walks, go to office or send their children to schools,” even though the real AQI is “very high.”.preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;} Bharadwaj further accused the Delhi government of using “fake data” to downplay the city’s pollution levels. “The Delhi government is making claims of low AQI on the basis of these forged figures, but the truth is completely different,” he said.Citing discrepancies in data from different monitoring systems, Bharadwaj said, “In the Siri Fort area, a government agency was showing an AQI of around 350, while an international agency recorded 1700. There’s a huge difference between 350 and 1700.” He alleged that higher AQI data was not being recorded to keep Delhi’s average air quality under control and to avoid triggering stricter anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).“AQI above this level should have meant imposition of GRAP 3 and further curbs. But why hasn’t GRAP 3 been imposed? These are big questions,” he said.Bharadwaj also accused the government of misleading the Supreme Court, which had sought data on Delhi’s air pollution. “The Supreme Court had asked for pollution data, but the government is committing a criminal act by tampering with it. This is contempt of court,” he alleged.Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Wednesday morning with an AQI reading of 335, according to CPCB data. The city recorded its worst post-Diwali air quality in four years on Tuesday, with PM2.5 concentrations peaking at 675 micrograms per cubic metre.While the BJP government attributed the spike to stubble burning in AAP-ruled Punjab, AAP leaders have accused the administration of failing to conduct artificial rain or enforce pollution-control measures effectively.POLITICS OVER STUBBLE BURNINGThe pollution blame game between the BJP and AAP governments intensified further, with leaders trading barbs over stubble burning.Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the Aam Aadmi Party of deliberately orchestrating stubble burning in Punjab to worsen Delhi’s air quality.“AAP is forcibly making farmers in Tarn Taran and Bathinda burn stubble so that its impact is felt in Delhi,” Sirsa alleged. “In the last 10 years, during his tenure as Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal abused Punjab’s farmers and did no work. Now that we have started addressing a 27-year-old problem, they are feeling uneasy,” he said.Responding sharply, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh called Sirsa’s remarks “shocking” and “ignorant.”“Sirsa has no scientific or basic understanding of this issue,” Singh said. “We all know that stubble burning incidents in Punjab have reduced significantly. How can we be blamed? Punjab farmers faced heavy floods recently and contribute to India’s food bowl. It is wrong to blame them,” Balbir Singh said.He added that the pollution crisis was a “national emergency” that required coordinated action. “Vehicular traffic is a main issue. I request Health Minister JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find an overall solution rather than blaming Punjab. Blaming farmers will serve no purpose. Give them a solution,” Singh said.'“The stubble burning cases in Pakistan have grown nearly twenty times, and that too impacts India. But instead of addressing that, we are playing cricket with them,” he remarked.AAP’s Delhi Chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also demanded an apology from Sirsa, saying his remarks had hurt the Sikh community.“Sirsa must apologise to Sikhs of Punjab and Sikh Gurus. Farming is largely done by the Sikh community, and you are accusing them of deliberately burning stubble on Diwali,” Bharadwaj said. “Sikhs and their Gurus have sacrificed their lives for Hindus. Sirsa must apologise.”He further claimed that only “415 cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab in the last one-and-a-half months” and accused the BJP of being “in nexus with the firecracker lobby.”“While they are enjoying Diwali, Delhi is gasping for breath,” AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said.- EndsPublished By: Anuja JhaPublished On: Oct 22, 2025Must Watch
