As politicians toast unity over tea, Delhi chokes on toxic smog

On 19 December, as the Winter Session of Parliament drew to a close, a scene unfolded in the hallowed halls of India's democracy that could have been lifted from a feel-good Bollywood script. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, upholding a cherished tradition, hosted an informal tea gathering at the Parliament House complex. The aim? To foster cordiality after weeks of heated debates. But this was no ordinary cuppa. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the architect of India's grand narratives, cracked jokes that had opposition MPs in stitches. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, the Congress party's dynamic voice, sat cosily next to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, exchanging pleasantries. Union Ministers such as the youthful Chirag Paswan, the eloquent Kiren Rijiju, and the reliable Arjun Ram Meghwal mingled effortlessly with rivals like Supriya Sule from the Nationalist Congress Party, A. Raja from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and MPs from the Samajwadi Party. Modi even singled out Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran for praise, calling him one of Parliament's finest for his meticulous preparation, and curiously inquired about an Ayurvedic medicine from Wayanad with Rahul Gandhi's sister.

This bonhomie marked a refreshing shift from the boycotts that plagued previous sessions, such as the 2024 Monsoon Session and earlier parts of the year that is about to draw to a close, where political tensions boiled over. Yet, amid the laughter and light-hearted anecdotes – Modi quipping about the session's brevity to spare strained voices – a glaring hypocrisy loomed. While these leaders patted each other on the back, Delhi and northern India were enveloped in a deadly haze.

The Winter Session had been frittered away on emotive distractions: endless wrangling over Vande Mataram or Rahul Gandhi's pet peeve of 'vote chori'. Pollution, a silent killer stalking millions, barely registered on their radar. This gathering wasn't just a tea party; it was a damning indictment of India's political elite's callousness towards a national health catastrophe.

Delhi's air pollution crisis is no seasonal footnote – it's a man-made apocalypse that peaks with ruthless predictability from October to January. Fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, infiltrates lungs and bloodstreams, often soaring 10 to 20 times above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. In December 2025, PM2.5 levels averaged a horrifying 259 micrograms per cubic metre – 17 times the WHO's safe threshold of 15 micrograms per cubic metre. Coarser PM10 particles hit 352 micrograms per cubic metre, while carbon monoxide lingered at 396 parts per billion in hotspots. These aren't abstract figures; they're harbingers of death and disease.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) paints an even bleaker picture. On 14 December, stations like Anand Vihar recorded AQI spikes to 644, plunging into the 'Hazardous' category beyond 400. By mid-month, Delhi topped global charts as the most polluted major city, with real-time AQI reaching 491 on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) scale. Extreme days saw sensors breach 1,000, triggering emergency protocols. Breathing this air equates to smoking 30 to 50 cigarettes daily, fuelling respiratory distress, school shutdowns, and work-from-home edicts. Hospitals overflow with cases of asthma exacerbations, heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer – a grim toll on the vulnerable, from children to the elderly.

What fuels this annual nightmare? A toxic brew of factors. Winter's low wind speeds and temperature inversions act like a suffocating blanket, trapping pollutants. Locally, vehicular emissions account for 20% of PM2.5 and 9% of PM10, while road dust dominates at 38% for PM2.5 and a staggering 56% for PM10. Construction dust and industrial fumes exacerbate the mix, alongside festive firecrackers and effigy burnings. Regionally, crop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana – visible in satellite imagery as fiery red dots – pumps in additional poisons. A 2016 study highlighted these sources, yet enforcement remains woefully lax.

2025's data offers a deceptive glimmer of hope, only to shatter it. The January-to-November average AQI dipped to 187, the lowest in eight years, down from 201 in 2024 and 190 in 2023. Severe days with AQI over 400 plummeted to three, versus 11 the previous year. March's average of 170 and July's decade-best 78, aided by monsoon downpours, suggested progress. But October reversed the tide, logging the worst monthly AQI in three years at 232. December descended into chaos: no 'Good' AQI days below 50 all year, culminating in hazardous peaks that erased gains. Delhi's mid-year respite gave way to a year-end Armageddon, underscoring the fragility of half-measures.

Government's band-aid responses

Faced with this onslaught, the government's playbook feels scripted for inadequacy. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 4 kicked in on 13 December 2025, imposing bans on BS4 and BS5 diesel vehicles from 1 November. Offices enforced 50% work-from-home, and schools pivoted to hybrid or online learning. These steps, while necessary, are reactive fire-fighting – not the systemic overhaul needed. Where are the robust stubble burning bans, backed by incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable alternatives? Why the delay in electrifying public transport or clamping down on industrial emissions? Road dust, the largest culprit, demands aggressive paving and vacuum-sweeping programmes, yet budgets languish.

Politicians' inaction borders on criminal negligence. While Modi jested about vocal strains, Delhi's residents endure literal lung strain. Opposition figures, quick to decry session brevity, stayed mute on this existential threat. The Winter Session's wasted hours on symbolic spats highlight a priorities vacuum. Emotive issues like national anthems or electoral gripes dominate, sidelining pollution's tangible devastation. This isn't mere oversight; it's a betrayal of public trust, where elite unity over tea trumps the collective gasp for clean air.

Urgent call for political accountability

It's time to shatter this complacency. Delhi's pollution isn't inevitable – it's a policy failure, amplified by cross-state blame games and vested interests. Solutions exist: stringent enforcement of emission norms, massive afforestation drives, and investment in renewable energy to curb industrial reliance on coal. Public transport revamps, like expanding metro networks and phasing out diesel fleets, could slash vehicular contributions. Regionally, subsidising machinery for stubble management in Punjab and Haryana would douse those flames. Yet, these require political will – the kind absent from that tea table.

Civil society must demand accountability. Petitions, protests, and voter pressure can force change. International scrutiny, with Delhi's global infamy, adds leverage. As we mark this date in 2025, let the tea gathering serve as a wake-up call, not a footnote. Unity in Parliament is hollow without action on the streets. India's leaders must prioritise breathable air over banter, lest the smog claim more lives. The scandal isn't the pollution itself – it's the indifference of those sworn to protect us.