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UPDATED: Oct 19, 2025 19:38 IST
This special report covers the political firestorm over Ayodhya's Deepotsav 2025, featuring a fierce war of words between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav. The controversy was ignited by Akhilesh Yadav who questioned the event's expenditure, stating, 'In the entire world, all the cities get illuminated during Christmas...We should learn from them. Why do we have to spend money on diyas, lamps and candles...?'. In a sharp counter, Yogi Adityanath referenced the Samajwadi Party's past, declaring that where they once fired bullets, his government now lights diyas. The ninth edition of the festival aims to set a new world record by lighting over 26 lakh earthen lamps across 56 ghats, an event the BJP projects as a symbol of faith and heritage, while the SP critiques it as extravagant spending.
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