# Rajasthan order for student birthday celebrations sparks row 2026-09-18T00:32:00+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets The Rajasthan government has ordered all government and private college students to participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday celebrations, sparking a controversy. The Opposition Congress and the People's Union for Civil Liberties have criticised the directive as forced sycophancy. The order, issued by the College Education Commissioner, requires students to light lamps on September 17 and participate in community service and innovation competitions through October 15. The Hindu reports that Congress leader Tika Ram Jully said the BJP is hiding its failures through extravagant events. PUCL national president Kavita Srivastava called it authoritarian, saying it stifles independent thinking. Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, New Indian Express reports that Ujjain lit 33.27 lakh diyas, creating a world record, and Free Press Journal adds that Bhopal lit 2.5 lakh lamps. The events launched the BJP's month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, which will include health camps and blood donation drives through October 17. ## Indian Opinion Analysis New Indian Express and Free Press Journal report the Ujjain and Bhopal events as celebratory records, omitting any dissent. The Hindu leads with Rajasthan's controversy, foregrounding opposition and civil liberties criticism of mandatory student participation. The pro-government framings present the birthday events as spontaneous public enthusiasm, the critical framing presents them as official coercion. Neither side engages with the other's facts. The balanced reading is that the BJP has mounted a large organised celebration across multiple states, but in Rajasthan the directive to colleges has generated a distinct backlash that the celebratory coverage omits. The Rajasthan compliance portal data, due after October 17, will show actual participation numbers, testing whether the order was enforced or resisted. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com (pro government) Leads with world record and volunteer numbers, no mention of dissent - freepressjournal.in (pro government) Reports events as welfare campaign, omits any criticism - thehindu.com (government critical) Leads with Congress and PUCL criticism of government order to students Tags: Bhopal, BJP, Mohan Yadav, Narendra Modi, Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, Ujjain Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-lights-33-lakh-diyas-for-pm-modi-birthday-across-madhya-pradesh/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-lights-33-lakh-diyas-for-pm-modi-birthday-across-madhya-pradesh/#story-in-brief