NEW DELHI: “The pollution in Delhi and Punjab is due to years of your corruption,” Delhi minister Kapil Mishra said, accusing AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of planning a campaign against Diwali and Sanatan Dharma. He alleged that some party leaders and paid celebrities would target the Hindu festival under the pretext of pollution.In a post on X, Mishra claimed that a meeting had been called at Kejriwal’s residence to plan the campaign.“Word is that a meeting has been called at Kejriwal’s place. Starting tonight, a campaign will be launched to hurl abuse at Hindus’ festival of Diwali and Sanatan Dharma. Some of Kejriwal’s leaders and celebrities bought with money will run a campaign against Diwali and Hindus from morning onward,” Mishra wrote.The BJP leader also accused the AAP leadership of shifting blame for pollution in Delhi and Punjab. He alleged that years of corruption under the party’s governments had contributed to the problem.“I want to tell Kejriwal that you know the truth too: the pollution in Delhi and Punjab is due to years of your corruption,” Mishra added.Urging the former Delhi chief minister not to target the festival or the Hindu faith, Mishra said, “I urge Kejriwal not to run a campaign against Hindus and Diwali, and not to commit the sin of having your petty leaders hurl abuse at Sanatan Dharma.”Meanwhile, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the BJP and the Central government over the deterioration in air quality in the national capital following Diwali celebrations. He accused the Centre of failing to take responsibility for tackling pollution across north India over the past decade.In a series of posts on X, Bharadwaj said several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Punjab, were facing high pollution levels. He questioned why the Centre was not taking the lead in addressing the regional problem.“For the last 10 years, the Central Govt has been running away from its duty to control pollution in North India. The top 100 most polluted cities of the world, or the top 10, are mostly cities of North India — UP, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab. So it’s the Central Govt that should work on pollution. For 10 years, they used to blame Delhi; now they are blaming Punjab. When will the Central Govt take its responsibility?” Bharadwaj posted.He also questioned the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s restrictions on firecrackers, claiming that pollution-monitoring devices had reached their maximum display limit.“Pollution 999. Pollution readings reach their max on display. No one wants to stop at 10 PM. The Supreme Court knew the time limit of burning crackers cannot be enforced,” he wrote.In another post, Bharadwaj described the arrangements he had made at home to protect himself from polluted air. He also took a swipe at BJP leaders over their position on firecrackers.“AQI 7 on Diwali. There is a hall with Air Purifiers; inside the hall, there is another smaller room with 2 Air Purifiers. That’s my hack to save my life from all those Nakli Sanatanis who want to kill our children by choking in poisonous air. Waiting to watch videos of Kapil Mishra, Manoj Tiwari, Rekha Gupta while bursting crackers. Thank you, BJP,” he stated.In a subsequent post, Bharadwaj sarcastically credited people for the rise in pollution levels, saying: “AQI 3000 paar. Full credit to these brothers who raised pollution beyond 3000.”
