Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s office in the state capital is now been given a saffron touch. However, this has not gone down well with the Opposition, which calls it a move by the ruling BJP to saffronise politics in UP.
According to reports, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan – also known as the Secretariat Annexe building which houses the Chief Minister’s office as well as those of senior officials – is being painted in saffron colour replacing the traditional white and blue.
Estate department officials were quoted as saying that everything from the outer walls to the terrace of the building is being painted in the saffron shade.
#UttarPradesh: CM office in Lucknow being painted in saffron color, work underway pic.twitter.com/dihzG8Xpry
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 31, 2017
UP Chief Secretary’s office traditionally sported white and blue colours but a proposal was recently made for repairing and painting the building in saffron colour, which was duly approved by all, the officials said, adding that work on it has already begun.
The saint-politician, who is also referred to as ‘Maharaj ji’ by his disciples, is always clad in saffron-coloured outfits.
If sources are to be believed, the chair and curtains of Yogi Adityanath’s office were also changed to colours matching the saffron hue after he formally took charge as the Chief Minister.
The towels in the office of the Chief Minister on the fifth floor of the building are of a saffron hue and the curtains, though not saffron in colour are close to it, the sources said.
Yogi Adityanath had recently flagged off a fleet of 50 saffron-coloured buses and even the stage for the inauguration was decorated with saffron-coloured curtains and balloons.
Besides this, the Education Department had distributed saffron-coloured school bags to primary schools students and the booklets that were distributed to mark 100 days and six months of the Adityanath government were saffron in colour as well.
The Information department diary of the state government also bears a saffron cover.
The Opposition, however, does not seem to be happy with the change and has charged the state government with “saffronising” even official buildings.
This is all about “saffronisation” of the state and its politics, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.
Congress spokesman Dwijendra Tripathi said giving any particular colour, which is associated with a political party, is not right.
With PTI inputs