Delhi Cloud-Seeding Fails To Bring Rain, Sparks Political Storm Between BJP And AAP

Delhiites woke up to another hazy and polluted morning on Wednesday as a much-hyped cloud-seeding experiment failed to induce artificial rain, immediately triggering a fierce political blame game. While the BJP-led Delhi government claimed the trial helped reduce particulate matter, the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) mocked the exercise as a “big fraud” and an attempt to “steal Lord Indra’s credit.”The city’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering above the 300 mark in several areas, including Anand Vihar and ITO. The cloud-seeding trial, the first in over five decades, was conducted in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur in areas like Burari, Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar.

However, the weather department ruled out any immediate possibility of rain. Later, the government issued a report stating the exercise did help reduce particulate matter, even though conditions were “not ideal” due to low moisture content.

The lack of rain provided immediate ammunition for the AAP. Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj launched a scathing attack, accusing the BJP government of committing “fraud even in the name of rain.” Citing IMD data confirming no rainfall, he said, “The BJP government is claiming to have carried out artificial rainfall, but not a single drop fell anywhere in the city.” He sarcastically added, “It seems even Lord Indra is upset with the BJP.”

AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar echoed this sentiment, accusing the BJP of trying to take credit for any natural rain that might occur. “The weather department predicts rain today or tomorrow. So now the BJP wants to take credit for this natural rain, calling it ‘artificial rain’,” she said. Kakkar contrasted the experiment with the AAP’s previous governance, claiming her party had implemented long-term pollution control measures while the BJP “shuts down monitors to manipulate AQI readings.” The war of words intensifies as the capital continues to gasp for clean air.