Delhi Crowd Chants ‘AQI, AQI’ As CM Rekha Gupta Takes Stage At Messi Event Amid Severe Pollution Crisis
New Delhi: As dangerous pollution levels engulfed Delhi, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was met with ‘AQI’, ‘AQI’ chants from a portion of the audience when she appeared on stage to welcome football legend Lionel Messi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
A steep decline in visibility and a haze-covered skyline marked another troubling day for Delhi on Monday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 498 in the morning and stood at 427 by evening, keeping the capital in the ‘severe’ category for the third consecutive day.
A video capturing a segment of the crowd shouting ‘AQI’, ‘AQI’ has spread widely on social media, leading the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to criticize Gupta over the ‘severe’ pollution situation affecting the capital.
Today, there was a Messi event in Delhi.
When Delhi CM Rekha Gupta entered the stadium.
Crowd started chanting “AQI, AQI.”
You can’t convince me that Vote Chori is not real.pic.twitter.com/5O08OQpqeS— Dr Nimo Yadav 2.0 (@DrNimoYadav) December 15, 2025
“International Shame, Crowd for Messi shouts ‘AQI, AQI’ as soon as Delhi CM Rekha Gupta arrives,” AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote in a post on X, sharing the footage.
The AAP blamed the BJP governments at the Centre and in Delhi for remaining unconcerned as hazardous air suffocated Delhi-NCR and sections of North India, stating the circumstances had reached critical levels.
“In a country where everyone is talking about pollution, the prime minister is just silent on the issue,” Bharadwaj said.
Gupta had previously stated her government is undertaking various measures to reduce pollution. She also criticized the former AAP and Congress administrations for failing to act on the matter.
“I want to ask those protesting at India Gate: The problem of air pollution is not new and has been around for years. Where were your protests before? What did the previous government do?
“There is a backlog of 27 years. The government needs at least 27 months to fix things. After 27 months, you can ask me about the steps we took to address air pollution,” Gupta had said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 27 monitoring stations throughout Delhi registered ‘severe’ air quality on Monday, with Wazirpur recording the poorest air quality at 475. Notably, the CPCB does not calculate an AQI value above 500.
The thick smog disrupted daily activities, with reduced visibility and health issues troubling residents and visitors. A city resident mentioned heavy smog made travel hazardous, compelling people to adopt safety measures such as wearing masks.
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Lionel Messi G.O.A.T. India Tour concluded in spectacular fashion as fans enthusiastically assembled to see the man who performs feats on the football field that are often beyond human comprehension.
The widely promoted event had the conclusion it desired, following a disorganized start in Kolkata on the tour’s opening stop on Saturday.
Speaking briefly in Spanish, Messi said, “Gracias Delhi! Hasta pronto”, generating a feeling of longing among the crowds seldom witnessed before.