New Delhi, October 29: 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. The directive was issued by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and it also includes restrictions on online sales and deliveries. Arvind Kejriwal’s Diwali 2024 Message: AAP Supremo Urges Delhi Residents to Light Diyas, Avoid Firecrackers To Reduce Air Pollution As AQI Continues To Be in ‘Poor Category’.

The former Delhi chief minister rejected criticism by the BJP and the RSS that the ban on firecrackers targeted a Hindu festival. "There is nothing Hindu-Muslim in it. Everyone's breathing and life is necessary," he said. Even the Supreme Court and High Court have said people should refrain from bursting crackers in view of the pollution and light 'diyas' (earthen lamps) instead because Diwali is a festival of lights, he added.