Delhi CM Rekha Gupta greeted with 'AQI, AQI' chants at Messi event in smog-hit national capital
PTC News Desk: As Delhi grapples with hazardous air quality levels, a section of crowd at Arun Jaitley Stadium booed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and chanted 'AQI, AQI' as she stepped on the stage to welcome Argentine football icon Lionel Messi on Monday.
"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 clip.
The crowd that came to see Messi goes “AQI..AQI..” as soon as Delhi CM Rekha Gupta arrives ???? pic.twitter.com/O3xHjNUqZa — Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) December 15, 2025
The video shared by opposition parties is doing rounds on social media as pollution level in the national capital soar.
Another video posted by Bharadwaj showed some people chanting, 'Rekha Gupta haaye haaye', with the Chief Minister present on the ground.
रेखा गुप्ता हाय हाय हाय- दिल्ली वालों ने लगाए ये नारे जब चाची पहुंची मैसी के स्टेडियम pic.twitter.com/oO4cHqvYOT — Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) December 15, 2025
“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 said.
Amid backlash, Rekha Gupta continued to target previous government over rampant pollution crisis and also called out the people who protested against at India Gate against ruling government's inaction to tackle pollution.
- With inputs from agencies
