A person is seen picking flower pots used as decoratives from outside the Rashtra Prerna Sthal memorial in Lucknow, UP, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it. Photo: X screengrab
Soon after inauguration, people lift flower pots from Lucknow's Rashtra Prerna Sthal, viral videos show
Videos of people decamping with pots, one even holding the BJP flag, flood social media shortly after PM Modi unveiled the memorial dedicated to AB Vajpayee on December 25
Several people were caught red-handed on camera, stealing flower pots from the Rashtra Prerna Sthal, a national memorial that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on Thursday (December 25), honouring his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary, in Lucknow.
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Videos of people stealing the pots went viral on social media after the prime minister and other dignitaries left the venue, following the inauguration.
Viral Pot-napping
A video was shot by a person from inside a car, shouting at the miscreants who carried away handfuls of pots on their two-wheelers. One of the ‘pot-nappers’ was seen holding a flag of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was pointed out by netizens online.
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Other netizens said that those who often steal these public decorations are not from poor backgrounds, but rather from ‘economically sound households’. Their upbringing may be poor, but their wallets don’t seem to be.
Dignitaries present
Apart from the prime minister, other dignitaries who attended the ceremony were: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Recurring kleptomania
This viral situation is reminiscent of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s public address on November 17, 2023, where he narrated an incident after a G20 event held the same year, when people driving expensive Mercedes cars in Lucknow took flower pots from the venue.
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He said, “Catching them would have caused a huge embarrassment, so instead, they were shown CCTV footage of the theft.“ The CM added he saw the CCTV footage catching them in the act, and said, “I saw CCTV footage where people arriving in Mercedes took away flower pots kept on the road to decorate the city for the G20 summit. Imagine the price of a Mercedes car and the cost of a flower pot.”
He decided to only show those guilty of taking the pots the CCTV footage and let them go, noting that, “If we do not take action, then decorations done for the purpose [of the event] will get lost.”
No official statement
Authorities have not issued any official statement on the matter as of yet, and one can only wonder if these new miscreants will only be shown the footage of their 'pot-napping' shenanigans and let go like those driving Mercedes were let go in 2023.