After the chaos at Lionel Messi's event in Kolkata, the programs in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi proceeded smoothly. Spectators witnessed the 'Messi Magic'. However, on Monday at the event at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, the program was somewhat disrupted when Chief Minister Rekha Gupta took the stage. As soon as the Delhi Chief Minister appeared, chants of 'AQI, AQI' echoed from the gallery. It is believed these slogans were raised to protest against Delhi's pollution.
Delhi faces a suffocating situation due to pollution. On this day, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a maximum of 498. In the evening, it dropped to 427. Even Messi's charter flight was delayed due to Delhi's adverse weather and dense fog. While the flight was scheduled to arrive in Delhi at 10:45 AM on Monday, due to the delay, Messi's flight landed around 2:30 PM. Some programs of the G.O.A.T tour had to be curtailed.
Meanwhile, during the event at Arun Jaitley Stadium, some spectators began chanting 'AQI, AQI'. Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj shared such a video on his X handle. On his X handle, he wrote, 'International embarrassment! As soon as Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta arrived, people who came to see Messi started chanting AQI, AQI.'
Recently, Delhi residents had joined anti-pollution protests in front of India Gate. Questions were raised about the government's role. In response, the Delhi Chief Minister said, 'I want to ask the protesters at India Gate that the air pollution problem is not new. It has existed for years. Where were your protests earlier? What did the previous government do?' Notably, due to excessive pollution, several schools in Delhi have switched to online mode from Monday. There are also restrictions on vehicle movement.
