"It's their smoke": BJP's Amit Malviya blames AAP's Punjab govt for Delhi's rising pollution

New Delhi [India], October 21 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya has blamed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled Punjab government for rising air pollution levels in the national capital.
In a post on X, Malviya claimed that Punjab's practice of burning stubble is the primary cause of air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), rather than the festival of Diwali or firecrackers.
He further held AAP responsible for Delhi's poor air quality, implying that the party's inaction on stubble burning is a more significant contributor to pollution than the traditional festival celebrations.
"Unless Arvind Kejriwal-ruled Punjab stops burning stubble, Delhi and NCR will continue to choke. Stop blaming Deepawali for the sins of the Aam Aadmi Party -- it's their smoke, not the festival's lamps or firecrackers, that darkens Delhi's skies. Their dark shadow still looms large over the Capital," Malviya posted on X.

Unless Arvind Kejriwal–ruled Punjab stops burning stubble, Delhi and NCR will continue to choke.

Stop blaming Deepawali for the sins of the Aam Aadmi Party — it’s their smoke, not the festival’s lamps or firecrackers, that darkens Delhi’s skies.

Their dark shadow still looms…

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 21, 2025

A day after Diwali, the national capital city New Delhi woke up to thick and heavy layer of smog as the air quality deteriorated to the 'Very Poor' category on Tuesday morning, with most of the monitoring stations marked in the 'Red Zone' of pollution.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 359 as of 10 am today.
As per the CPCB, Bawana recorded AQI of 432 as of 10 am, Jahangirpuri had an AQI of 405, Ashok Vihar had an AQI of 408 and Wazirpur with an AQI 408 remains the worst hit areas with air quality falling under 'Severe' category.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.
Residents of Delhi have complained about breathing difficulties and irritation in eyes following the rise in air pollution post Diwali celebrations.
Ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court had relaxed its earlier blanket prohibition on fireworks in the national capital and permitted the sale and use of green fireworks with some conditions.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had imposed Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the National Capital Region with immediate effect on Sunday. (ANI)