{"id":306574,"date":"2025-10-23T19:47:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=306574"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:55:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:25:59","slug":"as-diwali-pollution-chokes-delhi-right-wings-celebration-takes-a-toxic-turn-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/as-diwali-pollution-chokes-delhi-right-wings-celebration-takes-a-toxic-turn-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"As Diwali pollution chokes Delhi, Right wing’s celebration takes a toxic turn on social media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like past years, the celebration of Diwali on social media by the flagbearers of Hindutva turned toxic this year as well, thanks to the Right wing’s keenness to brag that a majoritarian festival could be celebrated with total disregard for rules and laws, pollution control measures and health concerns of fellow citizens and animals. While a widely circulated photo showed Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Diwali with an air purifier turned on<\/a> in the room, pro-BJP influencers showed off their insensitivity like a badge of honour by glorifying pollution and abusing anyone who was complaining.<\/p>\n

Swiss group IQAir recorded<\/a> an AQI of 442 for New Delhi, making it the world\u2019s most polluted major city on October 21, a day after Diwali, with PM2.5 levels over 59 times the WHO-set limit. In the early hours of October 21, Delhi\u2019s air quality deteriorated to the very poor category,<\/a> with average AQI touching 351 and hourly PM2.5 levels peaking to 675 micrograms per cubic metre \u2014 the highest since 2021. The previous day, that is on Diwali, the AQI stood at 354, again the worst for Delhi in four years.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that this year, the Supreme Court removed the blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) and allowed the sale of ‘green crackers’ ahead of Diwali. It also fixed a two-hour time period<\/a> (8pm to 10pm) for bursting crackers. The order, passed by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, was described by the Bench as a “test case” to check if a regulated framework could align with pollution control efforts.<\/p>\n

By October 21 afternoon, air quality improved<\/a> marginally, with AQI still hovering between 300 and 400 — the ‘very poor’ range.<\/p>\n

For the Right Wing, Pollution is Propaganda<\/h4>\n

Considering any complaint about the horrifying levels of pollution in Delhi as propaganda, the Hindutva champions stormed the social media space with abuses and derisive posts.<\/p>\n

No sooner did YouTuber Dhruv Rathee post a video on his X page on October 18 asking his audience to desist from burning firecrackers, than pro-Right social media users began sharing images of firecrackers that they had apparently hoarded. While some questioned Rathee’s stake in it, others indulged in whataboutery and asked whether he had shown environmental concerns on Bakrid.<\/p>\n

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This Diwali, do not buy Firecrackers!<\/p>\n

For all the people who talk about ‘gyan mat pel’ \ud83d\udc47 pic.twitter.com\/aiJvaUIIW1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee) October 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Below are screenshots of a few posts made by the users in response:@thekumarshyam<\/a>, @satya_AmitSingh<\/a>, @payal_trustable<\/a>, @saisooryan<\/a> and @Shobhitcool2001<\/a>.<\/p>\n