BJP on overdrive to project Deen Dayal Upadhyaya as national icon

In an attempt to popularise the legacy of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the Yogi Adityanath cabinet in Uttar Pradesh has approved a proposal to rename the iconic Mughalsarai railway station near Varanasi after the Jan Sangh leader.

The move, though seemingly innocuous, betrays the ruling dispensation’s desire to project Upadhyaya as its new national political icon. It is not an isolated incident.

The fact that Upadhyaya was mentioned alongside Mahatma Gandhi in President Ram Nath Kovind’s recent speech on the floor of the House substantiates this claim further. Equating Upadhyaya with Gandhi, while ignoring Jawaharlal Nehru, irked the Congress.