New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has presented Ayodhya's Deepotsav as an example of how cultural events can bring together communities across caste and social divisions, saying shared faith and traditions provide a common ground for participation. In a post on X, he said the festival reflected a vision of social harmony in which identity was defined by participation rather than caste.

Adityanath said governments before 2017 had neglected the cultural forces that could unite society while using caste divisions as a political basis. He said the state government sought to change that approach by starting Deepotsav in 2017 and turning Ayodhya's cultural heritage into a celebration involving different sections...