Rekha Gupta greeted with 'AQI, AQI' chants during Messi event as smog engulfs Delhi

AS the send character indicant in new delhi continues to exasperate, the residents of the capital are speaking up. During Argentine footballer Lionel Messi's event at Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta was met with chants of 'AQI, AQI',A viral video showed a section of the crowd chanting 'AQI', 'AQI'. The unexpected greeting for CM Gupta comes amid the rising levels of air pollution in Delhi.The chants also come amid a sharp drop in visibility and haze-obscured skyline in Delhi as the capital stays in the ‘severe’ zone for the third consecutive day.Opposition targets BJP govtThe video, which also went viral on social media was shared by the opposition parties in Delhi. Both the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress worked to share the video as pollution levels rise in the capital.“International Shame, Crowd for Messi shouts ‘AQI, AQI’ as soon as Delhi CM Rekha Gupta arrives,” AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a post on X.AAP has also accused the BJP government in Delhi and the Centre of being "indifferent" to the worsening AQI levels. Amid backlash, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta continues to target the previous AAP and Congress governments over the rampant pollution. The BJP leader also called on the citizens of Delhi, especially those who protested at India Gate against the lack of action to tackle the pollution crisis.“I want to ask those protesting at India Gate: The problem of air pollution is not new and has been around for years. Where were your protests before? What did the previous government do? There is a backlog of 27 years. The government needs at least 27 months to fix things. After 27 months, you can ask me about the steps we took to address air pollution,” Gupta was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.Also Read | AQI soars, will Delhi turn to artificial rain? What happened to the cloud seeding trialsDelhi goes hybrid as AQI worsensOn Monday, the overall air quality index (AQI) at 6 am stood at 457, according to data from the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi. The AQI at 8:05 pm stood at 410, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app.This reading comes as dense smog engulfed Delhi and the national capital region, bringing down visibility and impacting flights at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.Furthermore, schools also shifted to online mode for students up to Class 5. The pollution crisis has also prompted the Singapore High Commission in India to issue an advisory for its nationals residing in the capital and NCR areas.