Before the grand Deepotsav ceremony in Ramnagari Ayodhya, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday gave a statement regarding lighting of lamps and candles, which has sparked controversy. BJP immediately reacted to this comment of Akhilesh Yadav and said that Samajwadi Party has a history of opposing the Ram Mandir movement and spreading anti-Hindu things.
A media person during a press conference at the Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow. Akhilesh Yadav Said that this time in Ayodhya Deepotsav, candles will be lit instead of lamps and their number has also reduced, what would you like to say on this? Responding to this question, the SP chief said, ‘I do not want to give any suggestion, but I definitely want to give a suggestion in the name of Lord Ram.’
Should learn from Christmas: Akhilesh
He further said, ‘All over the world, all cities sparkle during Christmas. And this continues for months. We should learn from them. Why should we spend and think so much on lamps and candles? What can we expect from this government? This should be removed. If our government comes, we will make very beautiful lights. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala reacted strongly to this comment of Akhilesh Yadav.
#WATCH Lucknow | SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav says, “… I dont want to give a suggestion. But I will give one suggestion on the name of Lord Ram. In the entire world, all the cities get illuminated during Christmas. And that goes on for months. We should learn from them. Why do we… pic.twitter.com/HAL47migCC
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2025
He said, ‘To oppose the Ram Mandir movement, Ayodhya The party that takes pride in keeping the state in darkness for years and even firing bullets at Ram devotees is now protesting against the decoration of the city for Deepotsav. When he celebrated in Saifai, which did not benefit the common people, he felt proud. But in Ayodhya, where thousands of small shopkeepers are earning their livelihood, some people are expressing dissatisfaction.
Saryu beach will be illuminated with 26 lakh lamps
This is the 9th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. The event will reach its peak on October 19, a day before Diwali, with the lighting of 26,11,101 lamps at 56 ghats along the banks of river Saryu. Deepotsav 2025 sees 26 lakh lamps, 2100 Vedic scholars, 1100 drones, and 33000 volunteers coming together in a spectacular display of discipline and collective devotion. This festival, which started in the year 2017 with 1.71 lakh lamps, has now increased fifteen times, which shows its record-breaking grandeur. This year, the Deepotsav has expanded beyond Ram Ki Paidi to newly developed ghats like Rajghat, Guptarghat, and Laxman Kila Ghat.
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