Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed Punjab's stubble burning for worsening air quality and accused Arvind Kejriwal of taking revenge on Delhi.
AAP hit back, accusing the BJP of blaming Punjab's farmers to cover up its failures in controlling Delhi's pollution.
AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Anurag Dhanda questioned Sirsa's pollution data and artificial rain claims, alleging wastage of public money.
Delhi's Slipping AQI: Sirsa Slams Punjab Govt Over Farm Fires, AAP Asks Him To Stop Making 'Excuses'
AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Anurag Dhanda accused Delhi BJP minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa of making excuses over pollution and wasting public money on artificial rain claims
Summary
A blame game erupted between AAP and BJP over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, with Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh alleging that the Punjab government had failed to contain farm fires and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was taking "revenge on Delhi" for his party's electoral loss.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit back at the BJP, saying it is defaming Punjab's farmers to cover up its own failures in Delhi.
Delhi's air quality continued to be in the 'very poor' category for the second straight day, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 350 as a thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital on Tuesday.
Sirsa accused AAP in Punjab of misrepresenting data on stubble burning in the state. He claimed there were more than 1,000 stubble-burning cases and 271 FIRs filed against farmers in Punjab, yet AAP was saying there were no farm fire incidents this year.
Sirsa accused AAP national convenor Kejriwal of taking "revenge on Delhi", alleging that the party was uncomfortable with the improvements in the national capital's air quality under the BJP government.
Claiming that October 2026 was the cleanest October in the last decade, Sirsa said Delhi had recorded 220 clean-air days so far this year.
AAP Slams Sirsa
AAP said the minister should stop making "excuses".
"BJP Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa thinks that if his department manipulates data and presents false AQI figures, he can fool the people of Delhi. Last year too, they blamed Punjab's farmers for their own failures. Then, data from their own central government exposed their lies and showed that after the AAP government came to power in Punjab, stubble-burning cases had declined by nearly 80 to 90 per cent," AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
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AAP's National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda said, "BJP minister Sirsa is like a student who has not studied all year and then claims that the child sitting on the neighbouring bench prevented him from taking the exam. Manjinder Singh Sirsa should stop making excuses. The BJP government is solely responsible for Delhi's pollution."
Bhardwaj also accused Sirsa of wasting government money by claiming that he would arrange artificial rain.
"No artificial rain took place. The central government had written to his department that artificial rain was not possible in Delhi during this season. Yet he went ahead and wasted money. Who is accountable for this? Bharadwaj added.
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