On the evening of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on December 25, several residents were caught stealing flower pots used to decorate the city’s roads at the inauguration of the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in honor of the 101st birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
In a video now going viral on social media, Lucknow residents were caught openly stealing pots full of marigolds from the roadside. What was even more surprising was that they were not poor and homeless, but seemed to belong to good families and were looting the plants on scooters.
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Watch the viral video here:
Notably, such post-event thefts are not uncommon; municipal authorities often remove decorations once the event is over to limit losses estimated at thousands of rupees per incident, as reported in similar cases from Delhi and Mumbai.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
Social media users pointed out that most of the people caught taking pots off the road were “economically stable individuals” who lacked civic sense.
“Nothing new, we’ve seen it before too. We’re proud to be in India 😂 Can you do it anywhere else?” joked the user.
One netizen pointed out, “Economically stable individuals often show a surprising greed for free things. They seem to lack a sense of civic responsibility as evidenced by their behavior. This can be seen in their tendency to throw trash on the curb, steal flower pots, park cars in no-parking zones, and spit in areas where signs clearly indicate ‘No Spitting.'” There are many examples of such behavior. They expect their own rooms and houses to be cleaned while leaving the rest to the government.
“I do not support any measures by civic organizations before the visits of politicians. Decorating the streets with temporary installations is simply a waste of money. But the fact is that when an important politician comes, roads are repaired, parks are rejuvenated and walls are painted. We should try to keep our things clean for a long time, because they will not be rejuvenated until the next big visit,” he added of his plans.
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One user joked that the incident was “just the ultimate Nawabi civic sense”. “The VIPs are gone, the flowerpots have disappeared into mid-range SUVs. Not poverty, just the height of ‘Nawab civics’ – municipalities have learned the hard way why they strip their decorations faster than a bad Tinder date.”
“They took the phrase ‘Phoolon jaisa swagat’ a little too seriously. They didn’t just accept the welcome. They took the whole inventory home!😭” added another.
The user suggested a social credit system that would prevent similar incidents. “India needs China’s social credit system to become a developed country. Civics must be taught from pre-K through universities.”
Some netizens also defended the act as a “taxpayer’s right” while others tried to look at it in a positive light. “It looks bad, but it has a good side. This way the little tree will be alive for a few more years,” said the user.
“Obviously because they were sponsored by the tax payers so they can take them home after the event,” another user added.
Read also | Rashtra Prerna Sthal: All about the ₹230 crore monument in Lucknow
What is inside the Rashtra Prerna Sthal complex?
Spread over 65 acres on Hardoi Road in the outskirts of Lucknow, the Rashtra Prerna Sthal complex houses 65-feet tall bronze statues of BJP icons – Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Each statue weighs 42 tons and a body of water surrounds its platform. The complex was reportedly built at a cost of approx ₹230 million crowns.
