Mughal Sarai Junction in UP Officially Renamed as Deendayal Upadhyaya Railway Station
Since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, the government has renamed several projects, schemes, policies and landmarks after Deendayal Upadhyay in a bid to revive his legacy.
Lucknow, June 5: The Uttar Pradesh government issued an official notification renaming the iconic Mughal Sarai Junction to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Railway Station.
In a letter sent to Governor Ram Naik, the government said it is changing the station's name with immediate effect. The proposal to rename the British-era junction was moved in June 2017, after the BJP stormed to power in the state.
The Centre gave it's in-principal approval for renaming the station last year. The move, however, drew ire from the Opposition who accused the ruling party of attempting to rewrite India's history. "If this government has its way, they may well change the map of India," then Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agrawal had said.
The Mughal Sarai Junction was built during the colonial rule in 1862. The station acted as a major stop between the Delhi-Kolkata route. At present, it is the fourth busiest railway station of the world.
The decision to rename the station after RSS ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay is part of the BJP's campaign to honour the late leader. Upadhyay has a history associated with the Mughal Sarai Junction as he was found dead under mysterious circumstances at the station in 1968.
Since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, the government has renamed several projects, schemes, policies and landmarks after Upadhyay in a bid to revive his legacy. Before Mughal Sarai, the last change came on October 4, 2017, when the Kandla Port was renamed as Deendayal Port.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2018 10:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).