📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Politics
BJP and AAP clash over Delhi's toxic air and Yamuna pollution ahead of Chhath Puja
✍️ News18
🗓 14 Nov 2026, 09:01 AM
👁 26
The BJP and AAP exchanged accusations on Thursday over Delhi’s hazardous air quality and the polluted state of the Yamuna River, with the dispute intensifying as the Hindu festival Chhath Puja approaches.
Delhi’s air quality index remains in the hazardous range, prompting health warnings across the capital. The opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) blamed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for inadequate pollution control measures, saying the city’s smog and the deteriorating condition of the Yamuna River pose serious risks to residents.
In response, senior BJP officials defended the government’s recent initiatives, citing recent restrictions on vehicular traffic and the launch of additional air‑monitoring stations. They argued that the measures are already showing improvement, even as the river’s water quality continues to be monitored.
Both parties highlighted the timing of the dispute, noting that the Hindu festival Chhath Puja, which involves river‑bank rituals, is set to begin in the coming days. AAP warned that the polluted Yamuna could affect worshippers, while the BJP warned that politicising the issue could distract from ongoing environmental programmes.
City officials from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee said they are working with both state and central agencies to address the twin challenges of air and water pollution, but no new policy announcements were made during the exchange.
The debate underscores the broader political contest over environmental governance in India’s capital, with public health and religious observances adding urgency to the issue.
In response, senior BJP officials defended the government’s recent initiatives, citing recent restrictions on vehicular traffic and the launch of additional air‑monitoring stations. They argued that the measures are already showing improvement, even as the river’s water quality continues to be monitored.
Both parties highlighted the timing of the dispute, noting that the Hindu festival Chhath Puja, which involves river‑bank rituals, is set to begin in the coming days. AAP warned that the polluted Yamuna could affect worshippers, while the BJP warned that politicising the issue could distract from ongoing environmental programmes.
City officials from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee said they are working with both state and central agencies to address the twin challenges of air and water pollution, but no new policy announcements were made during the exchange.
The debate underscores the broader political contest over environmental governance in India’s capital, with public health and religious observances adding urgency to the issue.