Watch: Lucknow's viral 'gamla chori' shortly after PM Modi leaves Rashtra Prerna Sthal

• PM Modi inaugurated Rashtra Prerna Sthal memorial in Lucknow on Vajpayee's birthday
• Video of people stealing flowerpots after PM's event sparked criticism online
• Police present but took no action as people took decorative pots from city roads

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lucknow on December 25 to mark the 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Several official programmes were organised during the visit, including the inauguration of a major national memorial. While the events were conducted smoothly, visuals that emerged after the Prime Minister left the city soon became a talking point on social media.

People were seen stealing flower pots in Lucknow after the PM’s program concluded.

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Not an uncommon sight in India and explains why municipalities remove flower pots once events end. Ironically, those stealing them are usually not poor but from economically sound households. pic.twitter.com/qTcJX8LLrT — THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) December 26, 2025

Shortly after PM Modi departed from the Uttar Pradesh capital, a video recorded on city roads began circulating widely online. The clip showed people taking away decorative flowerpots that had been placed along the roads as part of the arrangements for the Prime Minister’s visit.

In the video, several people can be seen stopping their two-wheelers near the roadside, picking up flowerpots, and riding away with them. Some individuals were seen taking a single pot, while others carried two or three at a time.

The person filming the video questions those taking the plants, asking in Hindi, “Yaha se kyu le ja rahe ho aap log?” (Why are you taking them from here?). Despite the question being raised on camera, the people continue to pick up the flowerpots and leave.

The clip also shows a police officer standing nearby. However, no action appears to be taken, and the people carrying the pots walk away without any resistance.

As the video spread, it sparked strong reactions from social media users, many of whom criticised the lack of civic sense shown in the clip. “People who mistake government property for private property can’t be helped. Stealing flowerpots from festivals. Stealing pots from roads. Stealing streetlights from poles. Even stealing dustbins to become a world guru. Will the government identify these people and recover from them?” one user commented.

“There is no law and no civic sense," read one comment.

Another wrote, “Nawabo ka sehar, ye nawabi kabhi nahi jayegi (City of Nawabs, this royal attitude will never go away)."

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 centre is a lotus-shaped museum covering around 98,000 square feet, which uses modern digital technology to present India’s national journey and the contributions of its leaders.