New Delhi: A fresh political confrontation has erupted in the national capital amid worsening air quality after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena wrote a detailed letter to former chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal, holding the previous AAP government responsible for what he described as years of inaction on pollution and infrastructure.
The 15-page letter, sent earlier this week, triggered a sharp response from the AAP, which questioned why the communication was addressed to a former chief minister instead of the present Delhi government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The BJP, however, countered by demanding that Kejriwal personally respond to the allegations raised by the Lieutenant Governor.
AAP leaders accused the LG of engaging in what they termed “letter politics” at a time when the capital is grappling with hazardous air quality. The party’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said the letter should have been directed to the current administration. He argued that Kejriwal no longer holds executive authority and that accountability for pollution control now rests with the elected government in office.
Another AAP spokesperson, Ghanendra Bhardwaj, described the letter as “misdirected” and maintained that questions related to pollution management should be addressed to the chief minister or the environment minister. He also alleged that during the AAP’s tenure, the Lieutenant Governor repeatedly stalled administrative work.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, insisted that the allegations outlined in the letter warranted a direct response from Kejriwal. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the LG’s communication raised serious administrative concerns linked to decisions taken during the AAP’s 11-year rule. He criticised Kejriwal for not responding publicly and accused him of deflecting responsibility by allowing party spokespersons to address the issue.
In his letter, Saxena accused the former AAP government of prolonged neglect in tackling air pollution, deteriorating road conditions, inadequate drainage, and failures in water and public transport infrastructure. He alleged that major projects, including Metro Phase-IV, the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and electric bus expansion, were delayed due to political considerations. The letter also flagged concerns over Yamuna pollution, green space development, and stalled housing, healthcare and education projects.
Saxena stated that he wrote the letter to place his version of events before the public, asserting that Delhi’s current environmental crisis was the result of accumulated administrative failures over more than a decade. He also referred to an earlier conversation with Kejriwal to underline what he described as indifference towards recurring pollution episodes, an assertion contested by the AAP.
The exchange comes as Delhi continues to record alarmingly high pollution levels. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the “very poor” category on Tuesday evening, nearing the “severe” threshold. Several monitoring stations across the capital reported AQI levels exceeding 400, indicating hazardous conditions for public health.
As political parties continue to trade accusations, the focus remains on the mounting public health challenge posed by Delhi’s air pollution, with residents facing another winter marked by toxic air and administrative discord.
