As the capital's AQI breached severe levels, with 20 monitoring stations in 'severe' category on Diwali night and an average AQI of 376, several Union ministers spent the festival outside Delhi, in locations ranging from border posts to abroad. The next morning was no better - overall AQI stood at 371 at 10 am on November 9, the worst post-Diwali reading since 2021.
At 8:10 am on Diwali morning itself, Delhi's AQI was already 483, according to CPCB data.
Here is where key ministers were:
Rajnath Singh - Sherathang, Sikkim:
Defence Minister visited Sherathang near Nathu La, paid tribute at the war memorial and celebrated Diwali with Army personnel deployed in high-altitude border areas.
PM Narendra Modi - Bastar, Chhattisgarh:
PM spent part of Diwali with security personnel in Bastar, a region that has seen prolonged anti-Maoist operations. Bastar's AQI was 138 that day, against Delhi's 483.
Amit Shah - Ahmedabad:
Home Minister spent Diwali night at his residence in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where AQI reportedly crossed 500.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan - Bhopal:
Agriculture Minister was in Bhopal, where he said he planted a sapling at Smart City Park. Bhopal's AQI was 314 on Sunday evening. 7d28
Sarbananda Sonowal - Dibrugarh, Assam:
Ports and Shipping Minister lit diyas at his home in Dibrugarh, where AQI was between 65 and 85. 7b7d
Kiren Rijiju - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:
Parliamentary Affairs Minister was in Jeddah for talks related to Haj arrangements and shared Diwali celebrations at India House. AQI in Saudi Arabia was 73 on Sunday. 7b7d
Arjun Ram Meghwal - Bikaner, Rajasthan and Pankaj Chaudhary - Gorakhpur, UP:
MoS Law Arjun Meghwal performed puja in Bikaner where peak AQI hit 400, while MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was in Gorakhpur where AQI was around 333.
The contrast was stark: while Delhi choked, ministers were breathing air as clean as 73 in Jeddah and 65 in Dibrugarh, and as polluted as 500 in Ahmedabad - but none were in Delhi to breathe the 483 they govern from.