Uttar Pradesh appears to be turning saffron, with parts of a nearly 80-year-old police station in the state capital being recently painted the colour days after the Haj office in the city was painted orange, drawing criticism from the Opposition.
The colour seems to have become a defining feature of the state ever since Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of UP.
It has virtually permeated everything, from booklets and school bags to towels or chairs and even buses. And the Qaiser Bagh police station seems to be the latest on the list.
The police station was built in 1939 and had the traditional colours of a police station, yellow and red. Now, some pillars and certain parts of the building have acquired a bright saffron hue against a light cream background.
The renovation had started almost two-and-a-half months ago as part of an annual programme. The renovation work is incomplete as the labourers have recently stopped coming because of the intense cold.DK Upadhyaya, Inspector in Charge
Move Raises Eyebrows
Criticising the move, SP spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan was quoted as saying: "The Uttar Pradesh government is trying to gauge the reaction of public by painting various buildings saffron. They are indulging in politics of colour only to divert the attention of the people from their failure to carry out any developmental work in the state."
In fact, I apprehend that the imposing state legislature building may also be given a saffron coat.Sunil Singh, SP Spokesperson
Spokesperson of the All India Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas said politics of colour should be avoided.
The exterior walls of the Uttar Pradesh Haj House, located across the state legislature building in Lucknow, were coated in saffron on 4 January. The Haj office staff were not immediately available for comment as the next day was Friday, a holiday. Interestingly, after the bright saffron shade on the Haj office boundary wall attracted criticism from the Opposition and flak from Muslim bodies, it was given a cream coat by the Estates department recently. The boundary wall originally was green and white.
However, it prompted the SP to accuse the government of "blatant saffronisation" after a series of steps were perceived by it as "anti-minority".
The ‘saffronisation’of the Haj office came just days after the UP Secretariat was getting painted in a bright saffron.
I fail to understand the problem of those having issues with the new colour. Is saffron an anti-national colour? Saffron is a colour which symbolises ujala (brightness) and urja (energy).Mohsin Raza, Minister of State for Minority Affairs
Maulana Nadeem-ul-Wajidi of Deoband called saffron the colour identity of another religion, not of Islam. He said: “Saffron color is the identity of a particular religion while Haj is associated with Islam. So nothing as such should be done which hurts the sentiments of Muslims.”
Mohsin Raza said, "When the first rays of the Sun fall on the Earth, it comes with saffron light."
Saffron is a colour, which is synonymous with positivity. It is a gift of God. I think those who are against usage of saffron on walls of UP Haj Samiti office, may also object to saffron colour in the national tricolour. This is peculiar politics. After all, only the outer walls of the government office have been painted and not the building or any personal property of any individual.
The saffron colour, mostly associated with Hinduism and especially with the Sangh Parivar of which the BJP is a part, was painted on the front portion of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan Annexe where the offices of the chief minister and top bureaucrats are located.
After assuming office in March last year, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath showed his fondness for the colour as the state government gave a saffron tinge to covers of official booklets and background of official posters issued by the public relations department and ministries.
In October last year, 50 saffron-coloured buses of the UP State Road Transport Corporation, named ‘Sankalp Seva,’ were launched to provide service in rural areas.
The department of energy also announced that power connection to unauthorised colonies would be provided through electric poles painted saffron.
The Basic Education Department had replaced the bags that were distributed to school children to saffron coloured ones, from the earlier variant which had Akhilesh Yadav’s face on them, as Indian Express had reported in October.
A booklet released to mark Adityanath’s 100 days in office was also saffron coloured.
The Secretariat Administration department has also replaced the blue straps of identity cards with saffron. However, UP government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma had said that it wasn’t a conscious decision to switch the colours.
If there is saffron colour in all these things, it is merely a coincidence. This government is for all, and people from all sections benefit from our schemes. Discrimination was done by past governments only.
Saffron is Adityanath’s favourite colour as even the towels on the chairs he sits for meetings or conferences is of that shade.
Interestingly, in Adityanath's home turf Gorakhpur, the historic "Ghantaghar" (clock tower) has got the same tint.
Built in 1930 in the memory of freedom fighters Pt Ram Prasad Bismil, Seth Ram Khelawan and Thakur Prasad, the imposing tower was painted yellow four years ago, but recently it got the saffron shade.
The clock tower has historical significance. It was where freedom fighters such as Ali Hasan were hanged in 1859.
(With inputs from PTI)
(This copy has been updated)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)