Towering statues of three BJP icons, a two-storey museum: What’s inside the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow

Standing at 65 feet, LDA officials said they are the tallest among all statues of personalities installed in the state capital. Each of these statues weighs 42 tonnes; a water body surrounds their platforms.

Ahead of the inauguration, roads leading to the venue are being cleaned and street lights are being repaired. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

Built at a cost of Rs 230 crore, it was developed under the Basant Kunj scheme of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA). Work began in 2022.

What can visitors expect

One of the many attractions at the Rashtra Prerna Sthal is a two-storey museum developed in a 6,300 sqm area. It comprises five galleries and 12 interpretation walls dedicated to three leaders. In two rooms, orientation films on their lives will be screened.

“The museum is dedicated to the three great personalities. Their ideas and belongings… important events… are displayed there. For instance, the history of the formation of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) has been displayed. The idea is that people should know of their contribution in nation building,” said a LDA official.

On the formation of the BJS, one of the displays reads that after resigning from Nehru’s cabinet, Mookerjee resolved to take national issues directly to the people. “Before the first general elections of 1951-52, when there was no strong political alternative to the Congress, he decided to form a new political party with the support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In October 1951, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh was founded, with Shyama Prasad Mookerjee as its first President and Deen Dayal Upadhyay taking charge of organisational affairs.”

The displayed text also reads that in 1952 elections, the Jana Sangh achieved a remarkable success, and its election symbol — the lamp (deepak) — became a symbol of the emerging nationalist politics in independent India.

The lamp, Sudarshan Chakra and a statue of Bharat Mata have been installed in a gallery of the museum.

There is also an amphitheater, with a capacity to seat 3,000 people, a meditation hall, a yoga centre, a musical block, helipads, and rally ground that can hold over 2 lakh people.

Prep on the ground

Ahead of the inauguration, the BJP’s UP unit is working to ensure the presence of nearly 2 lakh people at the ground during PM Modi’s address.

On Tuesday, BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary inspected preparations. The party is also holding an organisational meeting in Lucknow and adjoining districts to make the event a success by ensuring the rally ground remains fully occupied during the PM’s address.

The entire premises is being decorated with flowers brought from different parts of the country while the roads of Lucknow leading to the venue are being cleaned and decorated and street lights are being repaired.

Built at a cost of Rs 230 crore, it was developed under the Basant Kunj scheme of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA). (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

The Special Protection Group (SPG) took control of the security of the campus on Monday.

According to party sources, it is a unique memorial as it would be the first such project where tall statues of all three stalwarts of the party will be at a single place.

A BJP leader said: “There are several parks and memorials that the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party governments built in memory of their respective leaders and ideologues in UP. The Congress has developed such memorials in other parts of the country. It is good that after the development of the Rashtra Prerna Sthal, people will also know about BJP’s ideologues who have made major contributions to nation building.”

He said party leaders can now visit the memorial on the birth and death anniversaries of these leaders to pay tribute on a grand scale. “So far, there is only one statue of Deen Dayal Upadhyay in Charbagh area, one of Mookerjee in Civil Hospital and two of Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan and the Convention Centre in Lucknow… BJP leaders usually go there to pay tribute, but large gatherings are not possible at these places. The Rashtra Prerna Sthal has a huge space to hold programmes,” added the leader.