New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): Lambasting the BJP’s “four-engine” government in Delhi, AAP Delhi leader Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed out that the BJP government is orchestrating a “criminal conspiracy” to deceive the people of Delhi on the grave issue of pollution.
The AAP Delhi State President said that in a desperate bid to fabricate success ahead of elections, the BJP installed air quality monitoring stations deep inside forested areas–zones where pollution levels are naturally half those of residential neighbourhoods.
Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta immediately disclose which official approved these dubious installations, clarify whether the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines were followed, and state whether the Delhi Government itself was complicit in this deception.
“If fooling the public is all this government aims to do, why not install air quality monitors inside the drawing rooms of all seven ministers?” Saurabh Bharadwaj asked sharply, condemning the BJP’s promises as nothing more than a calculated web of lies.
During a press conference, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “In this year’s Delhi Budget, a provision was made to install additional air quality monitoring stations to reduce Delhi’s pollution. Before the elections, the BJP had flooded TV, radio, internet, Facebook, and every platform with advertisements focusing heavily on pollution. Their biggest issue was pollution; they promised that if BJP came to power, they would reduce pollution.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj recalled how media narratives were built around pollution during elections, saying, “All English newspapers, before the elections, carried half-page columns warning that living in Delhi for a certain time would reduce your life expectancy by several years. Reports compared breathing Delhi’s air in certain places to smoking a large number of cigarettes. Overall, a huge scare was created, portraying Delhi as unlivable due to extreme pollution. BJP presented only one solution: to form their government here to reduce pollution.”
Reflecting on BJP’s promises, he said citizens waited to see what magical solution they had. “We, too, were waiting to see what magical wand BJP possessed to solve Delhi’s pollution crisis. Today, it has become clear what that so-called magic wand is. The BJP’s Delhi government is preparing to carry out the biggest fraud against the people of Delhi regarding pollution,” he said.
Explaining how pollution levels are monitored, Saurabh Bharadwaj shared technical details. “Pollution levels in Delhi are measured through air quality monitoring stations set up at different locations by the government. There are 40 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi. Based on Delhi’s population, topography, and land use patterns, some stations are located in residential areas, some in industrial zones, some in commercial areas, and some in green spaces. The idea is to monitor pollution levels across different types of areas proportionately,” he added.
The AAP Delhi State President exposed the BJP’s alleged manipulation of data, stating, “The fraud that the BJP has done within just two months is this — they have selectively identified six green locations and installed new air quality monitoring stations there. They’ve placed monitors inside Central Ridge near Malcha Mahal, where hardly anyone lives. One monitor has been installed inside JNU, surrounded by greenery. Another at IGNOU, where it’s practically a jungle behind the campus.”
He continued, “One at Akshardham’s Commonwealth Sports Complex near the Yamuna, where almost no one visits. Another at NSUT’s Najafgarh campus, where there is lush greenery all around — no population, no heavy traffic, no pollution. These are six locations with naturally low pollution, and that’s where they’ve installed the new monitors.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj said BJP aims to mislead Delhi’s upper middle class. Giving examples to expose the ground reality, he compared AQI readings, “Yesterday, the AQI at Wazirpur Industrial Area — where an air quality monitor is installed — was 373. In Rohini, a residential area, the AQI was 334. Now, even at relatively cleaner places like Mandir Marg, where there’s less vehicular movement, the AQI was 156, less than half of Wazirpur’s. Compare that — in the same city, at the same time, Wazirpur had 373 and Mandir Marg had 156.”
The former Delhi Minister warned that the BJP plans to mask the real situation, stating, “Now imagine, if you install monitors deep inside Malcha Mahal’s forested area, the AQI there would show around 80. The BJP is not reducing pollution — they are merely installing monitors in lush green spots to lower the city’s average AQI artificially. The next step? Wherever heavy pollution exists — on roadsides, industrial zones — they will simply let the old monitors deteriorate. Those monitors will break down and stay broken.”
“During the entire pollution season, if a monitoring station remains faulty, the overall average will automatically drop. Newspapers will then run headlines like, ‘Rekha Gupta’s three-engine government performs a miracle, AQI in Delhi drops from 350 to 150’. Delhi Editors, breathing easier, will say, ‘Yes, there’s a visible difference.’ Then the media will stop covering it. Meanwhile, your children will inhale that toxic air with joy, thinking it’s clean. This is a criminal conspiracy against the health of Delhi’s children,” said Saurabh Bharadwaj.
The AAP Delhi State President called it an unpardonable act of deception, stating, “This is no small matter. It amounts to criminal misconduct. It becomes a criminal offence because they’re manipulating the public on a matter directly concerning their health. Even when they know pollution is dangerously high, they will deliberately fool people into believing it’s low. So if citizens wanted to take precautions, they wouldn’t–thinking everything is fine.”
“Is Delhi the personal backyard of Manjinder Singh Sirsa, where he gets to decide where air quality monitoring systems will be installed? Can a minister or any officer arbitrarily decide this? If so, why not just install the monitoring station in your drawing room? There are seven ministers–each should put up a monitor in their drawing room and an air purifier beside it. Set the value at 50 and be done with it,” said Saurabh Bharadwaj, mocking the decision-making process.
Slamming the manipulation of AQI placement, he said that Delhi is not “Phulera’s panchayat” where you act on your whims. “There’s a set scientific method to this. I want to ask the Chief Minister, which officer authorised the placement of monitoring stations inside green zones? The government must reveal the name of that officer. On what basis did they make this decision? There must be some standard protocol. Usually, these are based on CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) guidelines. Was this done per CPCB norms?”
Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded action and accountability, stating, “If CPCB norms weren’t followed, what action was taken against that officer? If no action was taken, it clearly points to collusion between your ministers and your administration. This exercise is being conducted to fool the people of Delhi–and it’s fraudulent. And to top it all, crores of rupees in public money have also been wasted by the government.” (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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