"Ayodhya was humiliated by invaders now grand divine city": UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pardesh) [India],October 20 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday highlighted Ayodhya's remarkable transformation from a city once humiliated and politically neglected to a vibrant, globally recognized centre of faith and culture following the recent Deepotsav celebrations.
Addressing a gathering, Adityanath said, "I extend heartfelt Diwali greetings to all of you and the entire residents of the state... Yesterday, you must have seen the Deepotsav program in Ayodhya... The Ayodhya that witnessed the Deepotsav yesterday is the same Ayodhya that was humiliated by foreign invaders. It is the same Ayodhya where the Congress governments made petty attempts to deny the existence of Lord Ram."
"In this very Ayodhya, the Samajwadi Party had left the entire Ayodhya deprived of its identity by brutally attacking Ram devotees and hatching all kinds of conspiracies. Today, that same Ayodhya is attracting the world towards itself in the form of a grand and divine city," he added.
On Sunday, CM Adityanath launched a scathing attack on the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) during his address at the Deepotsav-2025 event organised in Shri Ayodhya Dham, accusing them of undermining India's eternal faith and obstructing the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Speaking ahead of the ninth edition of Deepotsav, the Chief Minister emphasised the cultural and spiritual significance of the festival, describing it as a celebration of truth and faith.
"While we are illuminating Ayodhya with millions of lamps, we must not forget that during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the Congress party declared in court that Lord Shri Ram was a myth. The Congress party gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that Shri Ram was a myth, and that the Samajwadi Party had fired bullets at Ram devotees in this very Ayodhya. These are the same people who pray at Babar's tomb, but when invited to the ceremony of the consecration of Ram Lalla in the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, they reject the invitation," CM Yogi said, alleging double standards of the Opposition.
Reflecting on the inception of Deepotsav in 2017, CM Yogi recalled the challenges faced in reviving the tradition.
"When we decided in 2017 to organise the first Deepotsav in Ayodhya Dham, the sentiment behind it was singular: to show the world how lamp-lighting should be done and on what occasion it should be celebrated. Thousands of years ago, when the world was living in darkness, Ayodhya had lit lamps to welcome its Lord, its deity, and the arrival of its faith--those very lamps became the great festival of Sanatana Dharma in the form of Deepotsav and Deepawali," he said.
The Chief Minister noted the logistical hurdles in 2017, stating, "When we decided to carry forward that campaign again to keep the spirit of that Deepotsav alive, in 2017, we did not have sufficient lamps available here to light them. For that, we had collected lamps from across the state, and only then were we able to light 1.71 lakh lamps. Today, millions of lamps are lit in Ayodhya Dham."
This year, a record 26,11,101 earthen lamps are set to illuminate Ram Ki Paidi and 56 ghats, creating a divine spectacle that aims to showcase Ayodhya's spiritual heritage on a global platform. (ANI)