As the iconic Mughalsarai Railway station in the state of Uttar Pradesh got officially renamed as Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Junction on Sunday, the locals have welcomed the decision with open arms.

'Although the change of name will make a difference, it has to be kept in mind that, the name Mughalsarai didn't matter a lot to us. The new name will help us to remind who Deendayal Upadhyay was and what was he famous for. His name bears a lot of significance. It is a right decision," said a local resident.

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was the co-founder and President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Upadhyay, however, was found dead in mysterious circumstances near the Mughalsarai station in February 1968.

'The Mughals were the invaders. It's important to change the names of those who were invaders and replace it with the name of someone who played a pivotal role in our societies. More such stations should be named after great Indian thinkers and leaders," said Shanti Saurabh Gupta, a resident.
It was on June this year, that the Mughalsarai station got a new name after Uttar Pradesh governor gave his assent to the proposal. The Centre also gave its formal approval last year to make way for the name change.

Earlier today, BJP president Amit Shah, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Railway minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday inaugurated the new Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction railway station.