‘Lamps being lit where bullets were fired’: Yogi Adityanath hits out at Opposition in Ayodhya

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with artists dressed as Lord Ram and Mata Sita during Deepotsav 2025 celebrations, in Ayodhya, on October 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday (October 19, 2025) hit out at the Opposition parties for their stance on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and said now lamps are being lit where bullets were once fired.

After inaugurating the ninth Deepotsav in Ayodhya on Sunday (October 19, 2025), where he performed ‘Rajyabhishek’ (coronation) of Ram and Sita, including ‘pujan’, ‘vandana’, and ‘aarti’, Mr. Adityanath also slammed the Opposition for “rejecting” the invitation for the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir in January 2024.

“During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in this very Ayodhya, Congress said Ram is a myth, while the Samajwadi Party fired bullets at Ram devotees,” he alleged.

“Today, Uttar Pradesh does not have to face an identity crisis. We are now lighting lamps where bullets were once fired,” Mr. Adityanath said.

Criticising the Opposition for turning down the invitation for the consecration ceremony, the Chief Minister said, “These are the same people who prostrate at Babar’s grave, but when they are invited to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir, they reject it,” Mr. Adityanath said.

Highlighting the transformation, he said Ayodhya now showcases an “amazing confluence of development and heritage”.

On the scale of this year’s Deepotsav festival, the Chief Minister said 1,51,00,000 ‘diyas’ (earthen lamps) are being lit across Uttar Pradesh.

“When we first decided to hold the Deepotsav in Ayodhya Dham in 2017, the intention was to show the world how lighting of lamps is done.” This year, more than 26 lakh lamps will be lit across 56 ghats in Ayodhya, with around 28 lakh lamps being arranged in advance, aiming to set a world record, officials said.

Published – October 19, 2025 06:40 pm IST