The Delhi government’s recent decision to impose a ban on all types of firecrackers ahead of the upcoming festive season has come in for severe criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party which has accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government of attempting to “suppress Diwali enthusiasm” instead of taking concrete steps to combat it. 

Announcing its decision to ban the manufacture, storage, sale and purchase of firecrackers in the national capital on Monday, the Delhi government also urged other cities in the National Capital Region to follow suit in combating the escalating pollution in the state. 

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Kapil Mishra, vice-president of the Delhi unit of the BJP, questioned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the decision and asked him to furnish specific information about what the Aam Aadmi Party government had done to tackle pollution in the state, including the issue of stubble burning in Punjab, which also falls under the jurisdiction of the AAP government.

“There is an Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab but even today the people of Delhi are suffocating… The BJP is with the Delhi government to fight pollution, but it is not acceptable that the Kejriwal government is targeting any one religious festival under the guise of pollution,” Mishra stated.

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The BJP leader said that the ban was a betrayal to the firecracker traders in Delhi and a significant economic setback. “If this announcement had been made a few months ago, perhaps the traders would have been ready for it, but today they too have been cheated,” he added.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor also asked what actions has the Delhi government taken to address the issue of pollution from Rs. 500 crores to Rs. 600 crore which it earns every year as environment cess from commercial vehicles.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai declared a comprehensive prohibition on the production, storage, sale, including online delivery, and detonation of firecrackers in Delhi during an announcement on Monday. Rai had previously urged for a similar ban in the NCR region due to the pollution caused by firecrackers and its adverse effect on Delhi’s air.