Qaiser Bagh station in Lucknow acquired a saffron hue

The colour saffron appears to be gradually spreading across Uttar Pradesh, with parts of a nearly 80-year-old police station in the capital being given a splash of it, days after the Haj office here was painted orange, drawing criticism from the Opposition.

Ever since Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister, the colour seems to have become a defining feature. It has virtually permeated everything — from booklets and school bags to towels, chairs and buses.

Built in 1939, the Qaiser Bagh police station had the colours — yellow and red. But this time round some pillars and certain parts of the building 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,” Inspector in-charge D.K. Upadhyaya told PTI. The renovation work was incomplete as the labourers had recently stopped coming because of the intense cold, he said.

The Samajwadi Party criticised the move, saying the “party [BJP] was indulging in politics of colour only to divert the attention of people from its failures in carrying out development.”

The All India Shia Personal Law Board said politics of colour should be avoided. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan, which houses the Chief Minister’s Office, was painted saffron in October last year.

The facade of the State secretariat was given a saffron hue months after Mr. Adityanath took over the reins.

Mr. Adityanath loves to see a saffron towel on his seat in his office. Recently, he flagged off a fleet of 50 saffron-coloured buses.