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‘Bullets To Diyas’: Yogi Slams Akhilesh Over Ayodhya Deepotsav ‘Wasteful’ Jibe

This special report from India Today focuses on Ayodhya's grand Deepotsav 2025 celebration and the political firestorm it has ignited between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took the stage at Ayodhya's Deepotsav with a pointed counter, saying that 'they fired bullets while the BJP is lighting diyas, adding that the diyas are not mere symbols, but the light of faith, tramping over 500 years of darkness'. The controversy erupted after Akhilesh Yadav called the event, which saw a record 26 lakh diyas illuminate the Saryu ghats, a 'waste of public money'. The BJP accused Yadav of insulting Sanatan traditions, while the Samajwadi Party defended the comments as a critique of extravagant government spending. The report details the massive scale of the ninth edition of the festival, involving thousands of volunteers and drone shows, which began in 2017 with just 1.7 lakh diyas.