While Delhi residents struggled with deteriorating air quality, reduced visibility and breathing difficulties, several Union ministers in the Narendra Modi government were away from the national capital at different points on Diwali, November 8.
The ministers were in locations ranging from Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh to Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and even Saudi Arabia, as a thick blanket of smog engulfed Delhi and pushed air pollution into the ‘severe’ category at 20 monitoring stations.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh visited Sherathang near Nathu La in Sikkim on Sunday and paid homage to fallen soldiers at the war memorial. He also celebrated Diwali with troops stationed there.
Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where he said he planted a sapling at Smart City Park on Diwali. Bhopal's AQI was 314 on Sunday evening.
Ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he lit diyas at his home in Dibrugarh, Assam.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju attended Haj talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. He also shared footage of Diwali celebrations at India House in Jeddah, though the posts did not specify when the festivities took place.
While Assam's AQI was between 65 and 85, Saudi Arabia's AQI was 73 on Sunday.
Union minister of state for law and justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said he performed Diwali puja with his family at his home in Bikaner, Rajasthan. The state experienced severe air pollution spikes, with peak AQI levels reaching as high as 400.
Minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said he performed puja with his family at his home in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh (where the AQI level was around 333)
Minister of state for youth affairs and sports Raksha Khadse was in Kothali village in Muktainagar, Maharashtra, where she reportedly celebrated Diwali with farm labourers’ families.
Union minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Prahlad Joshi was in Hubballi, Karnataka.
Maharashtra's AQI was around 203 on Sunday, while Karnataka recorded around 126.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis spent the Diwali night at the home of a small farmer in drought-hit Lohari Sawanga village in Nagpur district, where the AQI level was 217.
Union home minister Amit Shah spent the Diwali night at his home in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The AQI level reportedly crossed 500.
PM Modi himself spent part of Sunday with security personnel in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. The estimated air quality measured in Bastar district was 138 on November 8, according to IQAir.
Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years, with an average Air Quality Index of 376, and the morning after was only marginally better at 371 at 10 am on Monday, when a blanket of smog and fog covered the city.
The overall AQI stood at 371 at 10 am on Monday, also the highest for a post-Diwali day since 2021.
