Panchananda Pathak.
Credit: Instagram@pnpathakbjp
Lucknow: In a significant political development amid the Winter Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, around 50 Brahmin lawmakers held a meeting reportedly to discuss the issues being faced by the community.
The meeting, that took place on Tuesday, came close on the heels of a similar meeting by dozens of Thakur MLAs, who had then said it was for the purpose of forming a ‘kutumb’ (family) of the community legislators.
According to the sources, the 'Brahmin' MLAs meeting was held at the initiative of BJP lawmaker Panchananda Pathak.
A few MLAs from the non-BJP parties were also reportedly present at the meeting.
Although many of the attending MLAs remained tightlipped about the discussions at the meeting, sources said that several ‘Brahmin’ legislators expressed concern over "marginalisation" of the community in the caste politics in the state.
‘’Brahmins are being sidelined in the caste politics in the state…..their voices are not getting due attention,’’ said an MLA preferring anonymity.
Some MLAs said the members of the community were being ‘insulted’ and that the administration turned a blind eye to their concerns. They stressed the need to be more ‘assertive’ in the state politics.
There are 51 ‘Brahmin’ lawmakers in the 403-member state assembly, of whom 46 belong to the BJP.
For the record, however, some attending MLAs said that they discussed the increasing Western influence on the younger generation and a detachment from their cultural roots.
Sources said that the meeting of the MLAs was in response to the earlier similar meeting held by the Thakur lawmakers, adding that an aide of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called Pathak to inquire about the discussions at the meeting and was told that it was not a political meeting.
Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said that the BJP indulged in the politics of caste and that his party was ready to welcome the MLAs. ‘’They will get due respect in the SP,’’ Yadav said.