Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday, October 20, posted a video on X, showing people collecting leftover oil from diyas (earthen lamps) following the Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya.
The video, shot during the 2025 Deepotsav on Sunday, October 19, captures locals scooping oil from extinguished diyas along the Sarayu River, underscoring the economic realities behind the city’s grand festivities.
Yadav captioned the video in Hindi, "Sach toh ye drishya hai...wo nazara nahin jinhe dikhakar log chale gaye... Roshni ke baad ka ye andhera acchha nahi," which translates to, “The truth is these scenes... not the spectacle that people showed and left. This darkness after the light is not good.”
His remarks were seen as a critique of the state government’s focus on grandeur over ground realities, particularly in the wake of the Ram Mandir’s completion and Ayodhya’s record-breaking celebration of lighting over 2.6 million diyas this year.
Have a look at his post here:
Political opponents accuse Yadav of 'politicising festival'
Yadav’s post drew widespread criticism from political opponents and supporters of the ruling party, with many accusing him of attempting to "politicise a religious celebration." A user criticised him for not extending Diwali greetings to the public and brought up past controversies over the Saifai Mahotsav, alleging hypocrisy in his remarks about government spending.
Others defended the event, pointing at its cultural and economic impact. Ruling party supporters pointed out the Deepotsav’s alleged contribution to tourism, employment, and improved infrastructure, including the new international airport and upgraded railway connectivity in Ayodhya.
Ayodhya has been undergoing significant infrastructure and tourism development since the inauguration of the Ram Mandir. However, data indicate that the district’s economy still lags behind others in Uttar Pradesh. According to a report by The Indian Express, its net domestic product in 2021-22 stood at around Rs 11,081.24 crore (just 0.94 % of Uttar Pradesh’s GDP) and it ranked 48th among the state’s 75 districts in per capita income.
A Recurrent Theme of Post-Festival Reality
This is not the first time such scenes have been documented. During the Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya in 2021, a widely-circulated video showed children collecting mustard oil from diyas, lit with thousands of litres of oil, as celebrations wound down.
Some netizens echoed Yadav’s sentiment, noting the irony of large-scale celebrations juxtaposed with scenes of poverty. "Karoro rupay barbad karke mila toh andhera hi (Even after spending crores of rupees, we only got darkness), one user wrote, suggesting that the festival’s extravagance failed to address deeper inequalities.
