The Mughalsarai railway station in Uttar Pradesh was officially renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction by BJP President Amit Shah at a ceremony yesterday (5 August), ANI has reported.

The ceremony took place at the Bakle ground in Mughalsarai and was attended by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Minister of State Manoj Sinha among others.

The iconic railway station was established in 1862 when Howrah and Delhi were connected via rail. Apart from being an important junction, the station also houses Asia’s largest railways marshalling yard.

Besides renaming the railway station, the programme’s agenda also included commencement of the station’s development work and flagging off an all women goods train.

While speaking at the ceremony, Shah said that it was a ‘very big day’ for the BJP as the station has been renamed after Upadhyay – who mysteriously died there on 11 February 1968.

Goyal who also spoke at the event reminded everyone that Upadhyay was associated with the railways in the early stages of his life, with his father, uncle and maternal grandfather too serving for the same. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath compared the renaming of the railway station to everyone getting a new identity and thanked Modi, Goyal and Shah for allowing the change.

This renaming, however, has been criticised by a section of the opposition, who have accused the BJP government of tampering with history.