No Hindu-Muslim angle to ban on firecrackers in Delhi: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday defended ban on firecrackers, saying it is necessary for protecting people from pollution and there is no ‘Hindu-Muslim’ angle to it. Kejriwal said Diwali is a festival of lights and it should be celebrated by lighting ‘diya’ and candles instead of bursting firecrackers that cause pollution.

“It’s not that we are doing any favour to others. We are doing favour to ourselves because ultimately we and our small kids will suffer from the pollution caused (by bursting crackers),” he said in a press conference.

The Delhi government earlier this month notified a complete ban on the manufacture, sale, storage and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers in the city till January 1, 2025.