Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government’s recent decision to rename the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked a sharp political reaction from the opposition. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took a scathing dig at the Yogi Adityanath-led government, stating that those who are on their way out are merely trying to leave behind symbols of their existence.
On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, unanimously approved a resolution to officially rename the under-construction aviation hub as the ‘Narendra Modi Jewar International Airport’. The move is reportedly intended to honour the Prime Minister’s extensive tenure and contributions as a head of government over the past 25 years.
Reacting strongly to the development, Akhilesh Yadav mocked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its governance model. “The departing people are leaving their marks behind. This double-engine government has absolutely no real work of its own to show to the public. They only want to name things so that they are remembered. They want to leave a mark just to claim that they did something massive,” Yadav asserted.
The SP supremo used the opportunity to cite previous instances where the BJP government allegedly attempted to appropriate projects initiated during the Samajwadi Party’s rule. Pointing to the Lok Bhawan in the state capital, which was originally inaugurated during the tenure of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh highlighted how the current administration subsequently installed a statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the premises.
Furthermore, Yadav expressed his dismay over the alleged neglect and commercialisation of a prominent property dedicated to a socialist icon. “Jayaprakash Narayan ji, who gave the clarion call for ‘Total Revolution’ and elevated socialist ideology to new heights, had a magnificent modern building constructed in his memory. This government has now sold that off as well,” the former Chief Minister remarked.
The ambitious Jewar airport project is touted to become one of the largest aviation hubs in the country. It is being strategically developed to significantly reduce the air traffic burden on the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi while boosting regional connectivity, trade, and logistics across western Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region (NCR). However, with the opposition intensifying its political attack, the renaming move has injected a fresh bout of contention into the state’s highly polarised political landscape.