NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requested the people of Delhi to light diya lamps rather than bursting crackers on the eve of Diwali. This kickstarted a political war of words after BJP leader Amit Malviya criticized Arvind Kejriwal for emulating the Congress stance of advising people selectively on the Diwali festival.
Burning of crackers has been a hotly contested topic in Delhi considering the alarming AQI number that is worsening the air pollution. The Aam Aadmi Party had launched a campaign titled 'Light diya lamps, no firecrackers' on Tuesday.
Delhi's air quality index remains in the very poor category. There is a ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital. Delhi Traffic Police conducted a special drive this month as part of pollution control measures.
More than 47,000 violations were found and Rs 47 crore was received as a fine to the government coffers.