New Delhi: A fierce political tussle broke out on Wednesday between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the ruling BJP government in Delhi after the city’s much-hyped artificial rain experiment failed to yield results. AAP leaders accused Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s administration of wasting public funds, while the BJP maintained that the trials were “scientifically sound and successful.”
AAP Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the Rs 3.5 crore cloud-seeding project was nothing more than a “publicity stunt” aimed at misleading citizens. He said that the BJP government had gone ahead with the experiment despite prior warnings from central agencies like the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) that artificial rain was not feasible during Delhi’s dry winter months.
“If CM Rekha Gupta wanted praise, she should spend her own money instead of wasting Delhiites’ taxes on such a circus,” Bharadwaj said at a press briefing.
Citing parliamentary records, he pointed out that even the BJP-led Central Government had admitted last year that winter cloud seeding in Delhi would not produce rainfall due to low moisture and unsuitable cloud conditions. Bharadwaj further claimed that the chemicals used in the process could pose health risks and questioned the government’s decision to include densely populated areas such as Karol Bagh and Mayur Vihar for the trials.
In response, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa defended the initiative, insisting that the trials, conducted in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, were a “necessary scientific step” to explore innovative ways of combating air pollution. “AAP is only jealous of the progress the BJP government has made in just seven months,” he said.
Former chief minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal also weighed in, saying that the BJP government had “failed on every front” and was trying to divert attention from worsening air quality.
The BJP, however, hit back, accusing Kejriwal of “selling false dreams” of turning Delhi into a world-class city while doing little to address pollution during his tenure.
The cloud-seeding trials were conducted on Tuesday over areas including Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar, but experts from IIT Kanpur later confirmed that insufficient moisture in the clouds prevented rainfall.