The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress launched sharp criticism on Monday as Delhi continued to be shrouded in dense smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering between the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories for several days.
Sharing a photo of the barely visible India Gate, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to X, saying the monument had “disappeared” behind the thick haze. “India Gate has disappeared in Delhi… No matter how much the government tampers with the AQI, India Gate has exposed the BJP's true colours by vanishing behind the smog,” AAP’s Delhi unit wrote on X.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj told reporters that many air quality tracking applications rely on government-operated monitoring stations for their readings. “The AQI you see on your mobile phones, most apps take data from Delhi and central government monitoring stations — DPCC, CPCB, and IMD. Only a few, like the US embassy, have their own systems,” Bharadwaj said.
Apart from AAP and Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray called Delhi’s worsening air “worrisome.” He further accused authorities of manipulating pollution data.
“What’s more worrisome are the strategies made to hide the real AQI numbers. What problem do the Union and State Governments have in accepting the situation and building consensus for climate action?” Thackeray questioned in a post on X.
AAP has alleged deliberate tampering with AQI data. In a video posted on X, Bharadwaj stood outside a monitoring station near ISBT, claiming that trucks from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi were spraying water in the vicinity. “Water is being sprayed day and night around the Pollution Monitoring Centre located at ISBT so that the machines show lower AQI readings and false data can be presented to the world,” AAP alleged.
Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi also expressed concern, describing Delhi’s air as “a grey shroud.” “Returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar, is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it,” she said on X.
Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to act swiftly to improve the situation, calling for collective efforts beyond party lines.
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“Let’s get together regardless of our political compulsions. We will all support and cooperate with whatever action is taken by the Centre and state governments,” she added.
Congress general secretary in-charge (Communications) Jairam Ramesh also pointed to a report by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, which concluded that winter cloud seeding would not significantly improve Delhi’s air quality. “₹34 crore has already been spent on the trials,” Ramesh said.
Meanwhile, outrage erupted on social media after videos emerged of a marathon and cycle rally being organised in Delhi amid hazardous AQI levels. “Delhi becomes the first city in the world to organise a cycle rally for fitness in AQI 500+. Worse — people are actually participating!” one user wrote on X.
Another post read, “When the AQI crosses 500 levels, who organises such events? When people need to mask up, avoid strenuous outdoor activity, and stay indoors, marathons and cycling events are being held!”
Delhi continues to grapple with thick smog and choking pollution, while residents and opposition parties demand greater transparency and accountability from both the Centre and the state government.
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