‘India Gate disappeared’: AAP, Congress take potshot as very poor AQI, smog choke Delhi

THe Aam Aadmi company and the u.s. Congress launched refreshed unfavorable judgment in the backwash of the deteriorating air quality in the smog-choked Delhi, which has been recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ category for days now.Sharing a photo of faintly visible India Gate amid smog in the Capital, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on its X handle that the iconic structure had “disappeared."“India Gate has disappeared in Delhi…No matter how much the government tampers with the AQI, India Gate has exposed the BJP's true colors by vanishing behind the smog,” AAP's Delhi unit said in a post on X. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, while talking to reporters in Delhi, said that most applications on people's mobile phones were taking data from the government's air quality monitoring stations.“The AQI you see on your mobile phones, most apps take data from the Delhi and central governments' AQI monitoring stations. If you see iPhone's Weather app, they only take data from the government monitoring stations - DPCC, CPCB, and IMD. Only some apps have their own monitoring stations, like the US embassy,” Bharadwaj said.Apart from AAP and Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also termed the pollution in Delhi as “worrisome.” “What’s more worrisome is the strategies made to hide the real AQI numbers. What’s problem does the Union and State Government have to accept the situation and bring about Socio- political consensus on climate action?” Thackeray questioned in a post on X.AAP claims AQI data tamperingIn a video posted on X, Bharadwaj was seen outside an AQI monitoring station in Delhi. The video showed what the former Delhi minister said were trucks belonging to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Bharadwaj alleged that the trucks were sprinkling water “day and night around” the pollution monitoring station. “Water is being sprayed day and night around the Pollution Monitoring Centre located at ISBT so that the machines show lower AQI readings and false data can be presented to the world,” AAP said on X.Priyanka Gandhi says pollution enveloping Delhi ‘like grey shroud’Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi had on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta to take action to improve the situation in the Capital.“Returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it,” Priyanka said in a post on X.The Wayanad MP urged all political leaders to “get together regardless of our political compulsions”, adding that they would all “support and cooperate” with whatever action is taken by the Centre and state governments.Meanwhile, Congress general secretary in-charge (Communications) Jairam Ramesh highlighted the report by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi. He said the report “makes it clear that winter cloud seeding will not help improve the atrocious air quality in Delhi in any significant manner”, while adding that ₹34 crore had been spent on the trials.Social media outrage over Delhi marathonVideos of a marathon and fitness rally being organised in Delhi even as the AQI in the Capital has deteriorated sparked outrage among social media users.“Delhi becomes the first city in the world to organise a cycle rally for Fitness in AQI 500+ Worse- People are actually participating!,” one of the users posted.“When the AQI is crossing 500 levels - who organises such events in Delhi ? When you need to mask up , avoid any strenuous activities outdoors and stay indoors - marathons and cycling events are being organised!” another said.