LUCKNOW, Nov. 12 -- Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday defended the widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali, saying the spike in air pollution would subside and questioning why critics of firecrackers had remained silent when the corrupt polluted the system in the past. "No one is saying anything to those who polluted the system with their corrupt deeds. If the public lights firecrackers one day, then pollution is a problem. It will subside too. That is not a problem," the chief minister said at an official event in Lucknow to distribute appointment letters to newly selected junior assistants in the revenue department. In his speech, Adityanath contrasted the present situation with the period before 2017 -- when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not in power. "Before 2017, whenever any festival approached, be it Holi, Diwali, Vijayadashami, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Christmas, Eid, Guru Parv or Makar Sankranti, riots would begin. Every person felt insecure," the chief minister said....