The BJP-led Delhi government’s grand show of artificial rain to curb Delhi’s pollution has collapsed under its own lies. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj exposed the ₹3.5 crore scam with evidence, saying the BJP not only wasted taxpayers’ money but also deceived the people of Delhi. He pointed out that nine months ago, the BJP-led Central Government itself had admitted in Parliament—based on expert advice from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)—that cloud seeding in Delhi was scientifically impossible.
Experts had warned that winter clouds wouldn’t produce rain that could reach the ground and that the chemicals used could even cause illnesses. Yet, the senior AAP leader asked, why is the Rekha Gupta government still fooling Delhiites in the name of cloud seeding?
Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi Unit President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “The BJP government had first announced that it would conduct cloud seeding the day after Diwali, but it failed to do so. Then it said the seeding would happen on 29 October. However, when the government saw clouds in the sky during Chhath, it decided to waste Delhiites’ money and carried out cloud seeding on 28 October, a day earlier. But it did not rain anywhere in Delhi. This drama and circus, conducted with public money just to fool people, falls under the category of corruption. If Chief Minister Rekha Gupta only wants false praise, she should waste her own money instead of wasting Delhiites’ money on such stunts.”
Emphasising that pollution is a serious problem in Delhi, he said, “No one can deny that pollution is a major issue in Delhi. The people of Delhi expect the Rekha Gupta government to adopt a scientific approach and use public funds responsibly, as per the principles enshrined in the Constitution. But the BJP government is deliberately wasting taxpayers’ money. Corruption takes many forms — sometimes it is monetary, sometimes for false credit, sometimes to fool the public, and sometimes to distract them.”
Recalling earlier government announcements, the AAP Delhi Unit Chief further said, “For the first time, the Delhi Environment Minister and the Chief Minister spoke about artificial rainfall to control pollution during the monsoon season. At that time, I had held a press conference and asked, what kind of joke is this? When it rains naturally during monsoon, what does the government want to prove by doing artificial rain? After that, the government withdrew the plan. A few days later, it announced that it would conduct artificial rain the day after Diwali. The Aam Aadmi Party welcomed that decision, saying that if it helps reduce pollution, there could be nothing better. Rain right after Diwali would have brought the pollution down. But it did not rain the day after Diwali. When AAP questioned this, the government said it would now do cloud seeding on 29 October.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj continued, “On 27 October, during Chhath in the evening when people were offering arghya to the setting sun, some areas in Delhi witnessed light rain. Seeing this, the BJP government thought it was the perfect opportunity to fool Delhiites. After spotting dense clouds in the sky, it decided to take credit for even Indra Bhagwan’s rain — just as they steal credit for the work done by the Arvind Kejriwal government. Then the BJP started its drama. First, they said there would be artificial rain on Tuesday (28 October) between 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm. However, scientists say rain should occur within 15–20 minutes of cloud seeding, but the BJP claimed it would take four hours.”
He noted, “For the artificial rain, the government had chosen areas like Karol Bagh, Burari and Mayur Vihar. But Indra Bhagwan was so upset with the BJP that not a single drop of rain fell. Later, at 4:00 pm, the government tried cloud seeding again, but still no rain. The government then claimed it had rained near the Delhi Secretariat, where two smog guns are installed. We suspected the government might have just used the smog guns to fool people, so we went there ourselves — but there was no rain there either. What is the BJP government trying to do?”
“They say the previous government never did anything, and when they do something, people get upset. But there is scientific evidence that the BJP government is committing a major fraud with Delhi, the country, and the global scientific community. The government is tarnishing the image of India’s scientists just for its publicity,” he added.
Referring to the central government’s own parliamentary record, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “When Gopal Rai was Delhi’s Environment Minister, the AAP government had held several discussions with IIT Kanpur regarding cloud seeding in Delhi. The BJP-led central government’s own parliamentary documents prove this, which Delhi ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa and CM Rekha Gupta cannot deny. These documents are part of parliamentary records and are considered undisputed truths in a parliamentary democracy.”
“On 30 August, 10 October, 23 October and 19 November 2024, then Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai wrote to the central government requesting that cloud seeding be considered as an emergency measure to combat pollution in Delhi. The central government then sought expert opinions from the IMD, CAQM, and the CPCB,” he pointed out.
The AAP Delhi State President explained the scientific findings, saying, “These three central agencies stated that cloud seeding was not needed for clouds formed by western disturbances, as such clouds produce natural rain. High-altitude clouds are beyond the reach of aircraft. In Delhi’s cold and dry winters, conditions required for cloud seeding do not exist. Even if rain is somehow induced, it would evaporate before reaching the ground. The chemicals used in cloud seeding can also cause health problems. In December 2024, the central government had clearly stated that cloud seeding in Delhi during winters was neither feasible nor practical — even if attempted, the rain would not reach the surface.”
Questioning the BJP government’s intent, the former Delhi minister pointedly asked, “When three scientific bodies of the BJP-ruled central government have already said that cloud seeding in Delhi is not possible, on what basis did the Rekha Gupta government spend crores of rupees on this circus? How was this circus approved, when the central BJP government itself said nine months ago that scientifically, cloud seeding in Delhi was impossible? Why is the Rekha Gupta government fooling the nation? The government said in the morning that it would rain, planes were flown, maps and graphs were shown on TV — this entire drama was done just to fool people with their own money. This is complete corruption.”
Demanding accountability, Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted, “CM Rekha Gupta must answer why taxpayers’ money was wasted despite clear scientific advice. If she wants to put on this circus, she should do it with her own or the BJP’s money, not Delhiites’. The people of Delhi will ask for an account of every rupee spent. We know that agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), or Enforcement Directorate (ED) will never raid BJP leaders’ homes, but as representatives of the people, AAP will keep questioning this government.”
Parliamentary reply by the BJP-led Central Government regarding artificial rain
In a written response in Parliament, the central government said that Gopal Rai, then Minister of Environment, Forest and Wildlife of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), had sent letters dated 30 August, 10 October, 23 October and 19 November 2024 regarding cloud seeding as an emergency measure to improve air quality in Delhi during winter months.
In this regard, expert opinions were sought from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas, and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The experts stated:
“Winter clouds in the region are primarily formed due to Western Disturbances (WD), which are short-lived and travel from West to East. When low clouds form due to WDs, they typically result in natural rainfall over Northwest India, eliminating the need for cloud seeding. High- altitude clouds, which are typically at elevations above 5-6 km, cannot be seeded due to aircraft limitations. Furthermore, effective cloud seeding requires specific cloud conditions, which are generally absent during Delhi’s cold and dry winter months. Even if suitable clouds were present, the dry atmospheric layer beneath them could cause any developed precipitation to evaporate before reaching the surface. Additionally, concerns about the uncertainties, efficacy, and, potential adverse effects of cloud seeding chemicals remain.”
The Ministry communicated this expert opinion to the Delhi government through a letter dated 30 October 2024. It also asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) through a letter dated 23 September 2024 to submit a more detailed proposal, which would be assessed upon receipt. On 27 November 2024, the CAQM convened a meeting with relevant stakeholders and experts to assess the feasibility of cloud seeding to combat air pollution in Delhi.
The government also clarified that air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) is a result of multiple factors, including vehicular and industrial emissions, dust from construction and demolition, road and open area dust, biomass and municipal waste burning, landfill fires, and dispersed pollution sources. Post-monsoon and winter seasons worsen the situation due to low temperatures, calm winds, and lower mixing heights, compounded by emissions from stubble burning and firecrackers.
The central government said that various measures were already being taken to reduce air pollution in Delhi during the current winter season. This information was given in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh.
Meanwhile, Saurabh Bharadwaj took to X and wrote, “After Diwali AQI Monitoring station data manipulation fiasco and fake Yamuna fraud, now comes the artificial rain scam. When Delhi residents’ lungs are choking and eyes watering, the government of the day can’t look the other way and behave like an Ostrich. A few questions which any of the media savvy Central or Delhi government ministers/BJP spokespersons – anyone of them can dare to answer if they have any response.”
He further wrote, “The union Environment Ministry in response to a written question by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, had replied on 5th December 2024, that it had received four letters from the then Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai requesting consideration of cloud seeding as an emergency measure to curb air pollution in Delhi, the union ministry sought expert opinions from three specialised agencies – CAQM, CPCB and IMD. The expert opinion was that cloud seeding was not feasible in Delhi during winter months for a variety of reasons and there could be potential adverse effects of chemicals used for cloud seeding.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj proceeded to ask a few questions which are as follows:
-When barely less than 10 months before, three specialised agencies – CAQM, CPCB and IMD – based on their scientific expert opinion, had informed that artificial rain was not feasible in Delhi during winter months, who took the decision to go ahead with the ill-advised experiment now?
-Have the CAQM, CPCB and IMD changed their stand from last year to this year, and if so, on what basis and why is it not being put in public domain?
-Can the Central govt state whether these three agencies have changed their stand within less than a year or were they overruled this year?
-When it was already in the Delhi government’s official files that the three specialised agencies had given their opinion against conducting the cloud seeding experiment, who initiated the proposal and under whose direction within the Delhi government to spend taxpayers money on an already rejected proposal?
-When the Union Environment Ministry had informed the Parliament last year that cloud seeding was not feasible based on experts opinion, on what basis did it approve the proposal already rejected by it last year to spend Delhi taxpayers money this year?
-When the scientifically proven appropriate moisture levels for precipitation were not available on 28th October (Tuesday), on whose instructions did the IIT Kanpur proceed with the experiment which ended in a fiasco?
-When the CAQM, CPCB and IMD expert opinions clearly stated that chemicals used for cloud seeding could have potential harmful effects, then why were densely populated areas like Karol Bagh and Mayur Vihar included in the list for experimentation?
“More such questions of public importance shall keep flowing, till the government comes clean on who authorised this scam to fool the Delhiites and make a mockery of the Indian scientific community globally,” the post concluded.
