‘When Did New Science Come’: Kejriwal Hits Out At Delhi CM Over Her ‘AQI Is Temperature’ Remark – Delhi News Daily

Last Updated:December 08, 2025, 23:35 IST

The Opposition Aam Aadmi Party has repeatedly claimed that the government is presenting fake figures, which is denied by the BJP.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. (File/PTI)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a scathing attack on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta over her remarks about the government using mist sprayers to contain pollution at hotspots.

In a post on social media platform X, the former CM said that Rekha Gupta’s comments made it clear that the government is working to “hide” the pollution data.

Kejriwal also took a dig at the Chief Minister’s assertion that AQI “is like temperature”, questioning “When did this new science come about that AQI has now become temperature”.

“First point – The Chief Minister has at least accepted that wherever AQI monitors are installed, water spraying is being done there so that the truth about pollution doesn’t reach the people of Delhi. In other words, a game is underway to hide the data and show “clean air.” Second point – When did this new science come about that AQI has now become temperature?” the AAP leader posted on X.

Kejriwal’s remarks come after Rekha Gupta in an interview with NDTV, responded to the opposition’s allegations of water being sprayed on air monitors in hotspots to fudge pollution data.

“Tell me, what is a hotspot? A hotspot is where there’s the most pollution. Right? What’s the solution? You spray there, you water it. You work to improve the soil. So, you’ll spray only on the hotspot,” she had responded.

“Does using a monitor bring down the AQI? AQI is like a temperature which you can know from any instrument, so watering it is the only solution which we are also doing,” she had added.

The Chief Minister’s remarks came amid a heated debate over why the government’s AQI figures do not reflect the worsening air quality despite rising pollution levels.

The Opposition Aam Aadmi Party has repeatedly claimed that the government is presenting fake figures, which is denied by the BJP. Gupta had branded the national capital’s winter pollution a “legacy” problem.

The political debate intensified after Gupta stated earlier this month that the Delhi government plans to deploy mist spray technology to tackle air pollution. According to her, the government will install 305 mist sprayers across nine pollution hotspots in the city.

“As soon as pollution increases, the government shuts down AQI monitoring stations. Wherever AQI is high, spraying is being done around those AQI monitoring stations… People are troubled and stunned to see that major institutions are involved in this tampering, and that the fraud is happening openly… The government’s intention is not to reduce pollution but to reduce its figures,” senior AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said.

“The BJP got water to be sprinkled on AQI monitors to lower the readings. The BJP is manipulating the data… This lowers the BJP’s integrity and credibility… Even the BJP people should be here with us, but they are sitting at home with their air purifiers,” AAP spokesperson Priya Kakkar said.

Delhi’s air quality remained locked in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday, with the air quality index (AQI) staying above 300, while forecasts suggest that pollution levels are likely to deteriorate further and slip into the ‘very poor to severe’ range in the coming days.

According to CPCB, an Air Quality Index between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

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