Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lucknow on December 25 to mark the 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
concluded with official ceremonies and a major inauguration. But soon after the Prime Minister departed, visuals from the city sparked an entirely different conversation online. A video showing people taking away decorative flower pots placed along city roads during the Prime Minister’s visit began circulating widely on social media, drawing sharp reactions and raising questions about civic sense and public property.
Video Shows People Taking Flower Pots From Roadsides
The clip, shot on city roads, shows several people stopping near roadside decorations where flower pots had been placed as part of the arrangements for PM Modi’s visit. Many are seen arriving on two-wheelers, picking up the pots and riding away.
While some individuals are seen taking a single flower pot, others carry two or three at a time. As the camera pans, it becomes clear that multiple people are involved in removing the decorations.
This is Lucknow, Nawab ka Sheher.
It has been completely saffronised now.
Lucknow is not doing economically well, look how Lucknow locals are stealing flower pots which are kept for decoration on the road.
You will find a man holding a BJP flag stealing flower pots.… pic.twitter.com/eTPGJpycWk— Dr Nimo Yadav 2.0 (@DrNimoYadav) December 26, 2025
Police Presence Seen, No Action Taken
The video also shows a police officer standing nearby as people walk away with the flower pots. However, no visible action is taken to stop them, a detail that further fuelled online debate once the clip went viral.
The video was shared on X by a journalist with the caption.
As the clip spread, social media users reacted sharply. One user wrote, “People who mistake government property for private property can’t be helped. Stealing flower pots from festivals. Stealing pots from roads. Stealing street lights from poles. Even stealing dustbins to become a world guru. Will the government identify these people and recover from them?”
Another commented, “Nawabo ka sehar, ye nawabi kabhi nahi jayegi” (City of Nawabs, this royal attitude will never go away).
Some users expressed disbelief, with one remarking, “The folks from Lucknow were never thieves; they lived life in royal style. When did all this happen…?” Another bluntly added, “There is no law and no civic sense.”
PM Modi Inaugurates Rashtra Prerna Sthal
During his visit, PM Modi inaugurated the Rashtra Prerna Sthal, a national memorial dedicated to the life and ideals of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The memorial also honours Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Spread across 65 acres, the memorial complex features three bronze statues, each standing 65 feet tall. At its heart is a lotus-shaped museum covering nearly 98,000 square feet, equipped with modern digital technology to present India’s national journey and the contributions of its leaders.
While the inauguration was meant to underline values of public service and national pride, the viral visuals that followed have shifted attention to a different issue altogether — one that has left social media users questioning civic responsibility in public spaces.
