"Changing Excuses Every Year": Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP Over Delhi's Toxic Air, Party Responds

As Delhi battles choking smog, the capital's pollution crisis has once again sparked a fierce political face-off. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the BJP of "changing excuses every year" while Delhi's air turns increasingly poisonous, prompting an instant rebuttal from Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

In a sharp post targeting the ruling party, Gandhi said, "Year after year, Delhi's air is turning more poisonous, yet BJP governments keep changing their excuses. Now that the BJP rules both at the Centre and in Delhi, there can be no more excuses. People want clean air, not just promises."

साल दर साल दिल्ली की हवा ज़हरीली होती जा रही है, लेकिन BJP सरकारें बस बहाने बदलती हैं।

अब तो केंद्र और दिल्ली - दोनों जगह उनकी ही सरकार है।

अब बहाने नहीं, जनता को साफ़ हवा चाहिए।pic.twitter.com/oMeUdoVvhK

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 3, 2025

Reacting instantly, Sirsa fired back, blaming both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the pollution mess in the national capital.

"15 years of Congress government and 10 years of AAP government are responsible for the pollution situation in Delhi. In the last ten years, the cleanest air quality has been recorded this year, under the BJP government," Sirsa said.

राहुल गाँधी जी वीडियो डालकर पूछ रहे हैं कि दिल्ली का AQI कैसे खराब हो गया ?

यह आपने ही खराब किया है। दिल्ली को पहले 15 साल कांग्रेस ने प्रदूषित किया और फिर 10 साल आपके सहयोगी केजरीवाल जी ने।

मैं आपको यह भी बता दूँ कि पिछले 1 दशक के सबसे साफ़ दिन दिल्ली को माननीय मुख्यमंत्री… https://t.co/FwIsQQm539 pic.twitter.com/P2sH1QlbyS

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) November 3, 2025

The exchange comes amid Delhi's worsening Air Quality Index (AQI).

The overall AQI in the national capital stood at 309 at 7 am this morning, falling under the "very poor" category, according to the data available on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website.

Alipur, Anand Vihar, Burari and Wazirpur were among the areas that witnessed the AQI crossing the 400 mark, putting them under the "severe" zone.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

Environmental experts warn that the capital's smog crisis cannot be solved through seasonal blame games. Yet, like every year, Delhi's toxic air has once again become political ammunition, and residents remain the ones gasping for breath.