A day after Diwali, as a light haze settled over Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of failing to curb stubble burning, which it said was worsening the national capital’s air quality.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya took to the social media platform, alleging that the Punjab government’s inaction on farm fires was the primary reason for Delhi-NCR’s toxic air.
Taking to X, he posted, “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.”
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
Malviya further asserted that air quality would improve only if voters removed the AAP government in Punjab and farmers received proper incentives to adopt sustainable farming practices.
“It’s not that the farmers don’t want to learn anew — it’s that Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal don’t want to help them with new knowledge and techniques,” he stated.
Malviya also criticised efforts to link Delhi’s pollution to Diwali celebrations, citing reports that some officials in Punjab believed farmers were setting stubble on fire during the festival to disguise the smoke as firecracker emissions.
He attached an old video of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal discussing how stubble burning between late October and November typically contributes to Delhi’s pollution.
“Listen to Kejriwal explain this phenomenon between October and November every year. You can see how the Aam Aadmi Party is incentivising farmers to increase stubble burning just so that the Hindu festival of Deepawali can be maligned,” Malviya further added.
Don’t blame Deepawali for the poor air quality in Delhi-NCR.
Officials in Arvind Kejriwal–ruled Punjab have attributed the increase in farm fires to farmers setting paddy stubble ablaze during Diwali celebrations so that the fires could pass off as firecrackers being burst,… pic.twitter.com/Pfw9n0YFGR
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 21, 2025
Fewer Fire Incidents Reported in Delhi This Year
Meanwhile, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) reported fewer fire incidents this Diwali compared to last year.
The department received 269 emergency calls on Diwali night, marking a 15 per cent decline from 318 calls recorded the previous year.
One major fire broke out in Janakpuri, where firefighters rescued seven people safely.
In another incident at Roop Nagar, two firefighters sustained minor injuries while putting out a small blaze, officials said.
Also Read: India Skips Diwali Sweet Exchange With Pakistan Over Ongoing Cross-Border Tensions
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