AQI? AQ! Delhi’s Air Crisis Reduced to a Governance Joke

Since the Supreme Court’s “Child in US” verdict to allow “green firecrackers on Diwali,” Delhi and adjoining cities, collectively called National Capital Region (NCR), are under the carpet of dust, smoke and smog.

By MANISH ANAND

New Delhi, December 16, 2025 — Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met with a public humiliation yesterday when the crowd roared “AQI, AQI,” as she walked to take a selfie with football legend Lionel Messi. Gupta now already has earned a reputation of a Chief Minister for cameras, as she hops from one function to another to celebrate something or the other.

Messi as a part of his G.O.A.T. India tour arrived in New Delhi yesterday. A nation deprived of football icons sent youth in a large number to the Firozshah Kotla Ground, overlooking Old Delhi’s medieval skyline. The ground is now called Arun Jaitely stadium in a true tradition of India entitling the political class to grab the public space.

The air was grey and foul, but the streets overflowed. Messi’s India tour underlined India’s growing addiction to selfies and reels, even as lungs paid the price.

Gupta seized her selfie moment with the sporting legend. Revanth Reddy escalated the spectacle in Hyderabad by kicking the ball to Messi, while in Mumbai Devendra Fadnavis watched, indulgently, as his wife Amrita clicked selfies, bubblegum in tow. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee missed her moments.

Since the Supreme Court’s “Child in US” verdict to allow “green firecrackers on Diwali,” Delhi and adjoining cities, collectively called National Capital Region (NCR), are under the carpet of dust, smoke and smog. Doctors have called situations alarming,

Opposition has accused the Delhi government of “lying.” The air quality index (AQI) on mobile screens shows levels exceeding 700, with warning of hazardous. The official meter reads the level far lower. Facts seen with burning open eyes are negated in official data.

Yes, ministers take meetings. They have been taking meetings for almost a decade to address the issue of air pollution in Delhi. Even yesterday, Union Minister for Environment Bhupender Yadav held a high-level meeting to deal with air pollution.

Gupta became Delhi Chief Minister in February this year. The year is now ending. She in her utterances has shown a lack of understanding of AQI. When the air was foul and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled the city, Gupta’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shed tears to curse an “anarchist government.” Now they breathe purified air with the help of Chinese equipment.

Now the BJP cheerleaders normalise the situation, saying why “Uttar Pradesh and Haryana not taking actions as cities such as Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, and Gurgaon are under a heavy carpet of smoke.” They have not begun calling own BJP-led government in Delhi a joke. A Viksit Bharat dreaming nation, meanwhile, has its capital region battling the life-threatening foul air.

(This is an opinion piece, and views expressed are those of the author only)

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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