Chandauli/Lucknow > Mughalsarai Junction will be formally renamed after RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay when BJP president Amit Shah, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrive at the iconic railway station tomorrow.
Renaming of the iconic Mughalsarai Railway Station stirred up controversy as it was alleged to be part of the BJP agenda to erase Mughal symbols. The move drew flak from the opposition which accused the ruling party of attempting to tamper with history. Renaming it after the RSS ideologue and building being touched up with saffron paint at places testify these accusations.
Upadhyay was found dead in mysterious circumstances near the Mughalsarai station in February 1968. Mughalsarai is also the birth place of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The leaders will launch a project to upgrade the yard at the station, officials said. Ekatmata Express, now set to follow a new route from Lucknow to Mughalsarai, will get the green signal.
Railway officials said it will be the first time in the country that an all-woman crew runs a goods train. Union Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and other senior BJP leaders will also be present.
On paper, Mughalsarai station got a new name after Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik gave his assent to the proposal in June.The Centre gave its in-principle approval last year to the state government's proposal to rename the station, which is among the busiest in the country.
(With inputs from PTI)
