Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday, 3 November 2026 announced that Delhi had recorded 220 clean-air days this year — the highest in the past decade — while simultaneously launching a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing it of driving pollution through stubble burning in Punjab and making a politically motivated appointment to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

Delhi's Air Quality: A Decade-Best Record

Addressing a press conference, Sirsa credited the administration of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for the improvement in Delhi's air quality. He stated that October 2026 was the cleanest October the city had seen in 10 years, and that the average Air Quality Index (AQI) this year was the lowest in the same period — registering a 10 per cent improvement compared to previous years.

'Delhi recorded 220 clean-air days this year, the highest in the past decade. October 2026 was also the cleanest October in the last decade. The average AQI recorded this year was the lowest in the past decade, with a 10 per cent improvement compared with previous years. The annual average AQI was also lower this year,' Sirsa said.

He also noted that more than 13,000 electric vehicle charging stations have been installed in Delhi, pointing to infrastructure-led efforts to reduce vehicular emissions.

PPCB Appointment Row: Sirsa Targets AAP

Sirsa levelled serious allegations against the AAP-led Punjab government over its appointment of the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. He alleged that the appointee was a non-Punjabi, non-IAS, and non-technical individual — reportedly a political spokesperson from Delhi with close family ties to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

'I want to expose the real face of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose entire operation is based on lies and fraud. In the 75 years since Independence, no non-Punjabi, non-IAS and non-technical person has been appointed to this position. They brought their political spokesperson from Delhi, who is said to be a close relative of Arvind Kejriwal, and appointed her as the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board,' Sirsa alleged.

The AAP had not responded to these allegations at the time of this report.

Punjab Stubble Burning: Over 1,000 Incidents Reported

Sirsa alleged that more than 1,000 incidents of stubble burning had been reported in Punjab, directly contributing to the degradation of Delhi's air quality. He went further, alleging that Punjab Police personnel and state government officials were, in some locations, facilitating the very practice they were also penalising farmers for.

'In Punjab, there have been more than 1,000 incidents of stubble burning. Punjab Police and government officers are facilitating the burning of stubble. The Aam Aadmi Party is, on the one hand, getting farmers to burn stubble and, on the other hand, registering cases against them,' he alleged.

Separately, data released by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) through a Right to Information (RTI) response showed that 345 stubble burning cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh between 15 September and 29 October, and 29 cases were reported in Haryana during the same period.

Appeal to Kejriwal and Sisodia

In a pointed appeal, Sirsa urged Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to refrain from actions he claimed were worsening pollution in the national capital.

'Delhi, which you spent 10 years ruining, is now beginning to recover. Please do not ruin it again… By setting fires in Punjab, you are once again causing the situation in Delhi to deteriorate,' he said.

Sirsa alleged that the previous AAP government's decade in office had left Delhi struggling with pollution, and that the city was only now beginning to recover under the current administration.

What to Watch Next

With winter approaching — traditionally the worst season for Delhi's air quality — the Supreme Court-mandated Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and CAQM directives will come under intense scrutiny. Whether the Punjab government addresses the stubble burning allegations, and how AAP responds to the PPCB appointment controversy, will shape the political and environmental narrative in the weeks ahead.