Why Firecracker Ban Only on Diwali, Kejriwal Govt Failed to Check Delhi Pollution: BJP

Delhi BJP leaders slammed the AAP government on Monday over its ban on sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali, alleging it has failed to check air pollution in the city.

Delhi BJP vice president Kapil Mishra said it has been proved in the court and also by scientists that “firecrackers are not the source of pollution”.

In a post on X, he asserted that the people will not follow the ban on firecrackers.

“It has been proved in the court that firecrackers are not the source of pollution. Scientific reports have said firecrackers are not the source of pollution. Why the ban on the firecrackers only on Diwali as the Kejriwal government has failed to check pollution in Delhi? People will not follow the ban on Diwali firecrackers,” Mishra wrote on X.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also opposed the ban on bursting crackers during Diwali for the third consecutive year.

“Crackers that contribute to pollution should be restricted but permission should be granted for the use of green crackers. Diwali is not just a festival; it is deeply intertwined with the emotions of millions of Hindus,” Bidhuri said in a statement.

There has been no scientific study so far proving that pollution increases due to bursting of crackers during Diwali, he claimed.

“The Delhi government should not forget its responsibility to reduce pollution. Pollution around Diwali increases because the government has failed to fulfil its responsibilities,” he alleged.

The Delhi government has decided to reimpose the ban on the manufacturing, sale, storage and use of all kinds of firecrackers in the capital as part of an action plan to reduce pollution levels in winter, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said at a press conference on Monday.

The Delhi Police will be issued strict directions to implement the ban in the city, he said.

Last year, the government had announced that bursting firecrackers on Diwali in the city would attract a jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.

It had said production, storage and sale of firecrackers in Delhi would be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.