As Delhi woke up to another smoggy morning and Air Quality Index (AQI) in several areas climbed to the ‘severe’ category, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called upon the Centre and the BJP-led Delhi government to act immediately.
The Congress leader has returned to Delhi after campaigning in poll-bound Bihar. Earlier, she had travelled to her Lok Sabha constituency, Wayanad, in Kerala.
“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,” she said in a post on X.
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.
It’s really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The…
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 2, 2025
“It’s really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state government need to act immediately, we will all support and cooperate with whatever actions they choose to take to mitigate this awful situation. Year after year the citizens of Delhi are subjected to this toxicity with no recourse,” the Congress leader added.
“Those who suffer from respiratory issues, children who commute to school every day and senior citizens especially, need urgent intervention to clear the filthy smog we are all breathing,” she said. She tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and urged them to take immediate steps to tackle Delhi’s tryst with toxic air.
Air quality in the national capital has dipped over the past couple of weeks, with AQI readings in key areas ranging from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe category’. An average of readings of 39 monitoring stations put the AQI at 303 (very poor), but areas such as Wazirpur and Anand Vihar reported ‘severe’ AQI readings.
The Delhi government has now planned a series of cloud seeding trials to cause rain and improve air quality in the national capital. Last week, two cloud seeding trials failed to bring rain due to low moisture content in the clouds over the national capital.
Stubble burning in neighbouring Haryana and Punjab, vehicular emissions, climatic conditions and construction and industrial activities are key contributors to Delhi’s air pollution. Currently, restrictions under the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — a phase-wise plan to combat toxic air — are in place in the national capital.