On the evening of Vijayadashami 2026, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav turned to the nation with a rallying cry — urging every Indian to echo the age-old invocation of Lord Rama's victory alongside him.

In a post shared on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, Dr. Yadav wrote in Hindi: 'आज जब देश का जन-जन अधर्म पर धर्म की विजय का उद्घोष कर रहा है, तो आइए फिर मेरे साथ एक बार बोलिए। सियावर रामचंद्र की जय…' — 'Today, as every soul in the country proclaims the victory of righteousness over evil, come, say it with me once more: Victory to Lord Ramachandra of Sita.' The message was addressed in tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tagged #Vijayadashami.

The festival that stops a billion people

Vijayadashami — also called Dussehra — marks the day Lord Rama vanquished the demon king Ravana, a moment enshrined in the Ramayana as the definitive triumph of dharma over adharma. Across India, the day is observed with massive public processions, theatrical re-enactments of the epic, and the ceremonial burning of towering effigies of Ravana, Meghnad, and Kumbhkarna. It is one of the most widely observed festivals in the Hindu calendar.

The invocation 'Siyavar Ramchandra ki Jai' — a salutation to Rama as the consort of Sita — is among the most recognisable devotional phrases in northern and central India, carrying deep emotional resonance especially in states like Madhya Pradesh, where the Rama narrative is woven into everyday culture and public ceremony.

BJP's Vijayadashami tradition and what it signals

Dr. Yadav's post fits a well-established pattern: BJP leaders at both the national and state levels consistently use Vijayadashami as a moment for high-visibility public engagement, framing the festival's core message — righteousness prevailing — as a broadly resonant civic value. Prime Minister Modi has over successive years delivered Vijayadashami addresses and greetings that draw the same thematic thread.

For Madhya Pradesh, which hosts some of the country's largest Dussehra celebrations, the Chief Minister's public participation is both a cultural signal and a statement of governance identity. Dr. Yadav's message, with its direct invitation for collective chanting, was designed not as a broadcast but as a conversation — pulling citizens into the moment rather than speaking at them.

When a Chief Minister asks the nation to chant together, it is a reminder that in India, festival and public life have never quite been separate. This Vijayadashami, that ancient call rang out once more.