The Mughalsarai railway station of Uttar Pradesh is now officially Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay station after Governor Ram Naik approved the proposal, ANI reported on Tuesday.
The move to rename the station was an attempt by the Adityanath government to revive the legacy of Jan Sangh leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay, who died at the station in 1968. Jan Sangh was a precursor to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
In August, the Ministry of Home Affairs had cleared a proposal by the state government seeking to honour Upadhyay. This had led to protests by the Opposition in the Parliament. The Samajwadi Party had claimed that the station was being renamed after someone who had made “no contribution to the freedom struggle”.
The Mughalsarai junction is one of the busiest railway stations in the country. The British had set it up as a key station on the route from Delhi to present-day Kolkata.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!