Brijesh Pathak’s ‘Brahmin’ outreach rattles Adityanath

Lucknow: Ever since saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister following the BJP’s landslide victory in the 2017 Assembly elections, he has had almost a free run: His has been the last word, be it the government or his party in the state.

In fact, Adityanath’s grip on his government was so strong that he even “refused” to appoint bureaucrat-turned-politician A K Sharma, considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as his deputy in his first term. Sharma had to be content with a Cabinet berth.

Even the BJP’s dismal performance in UP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls — when its tally came down to 33 from the 62 it won in 2019 — failed to shake his position despite an open attack by Keshav Prasad Maurya, a senior OBC leader and his deputy, who minced no words in blaming Adityanath for the party’s poor show in the state.

The recent incident involving the prominent Hindu seer Swami Avimukteshwaranand, the self-proclaimed Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth, during the “Magh Mela” — an annual ritual on the banks of the Ganga at Prayagraj — has put Adityanath in a difficult situation.

The seer was prevented from proceeding toward Ganga for a holy dip, and the “Batuk Brahmins” — celibate Hindu children who take initiation in gurukuls for Vedic education, all disciples of the religious leader — were roughed up by the police.

Videos surfaced on social media purportedly showing the police dragging the "batuks" by their “shikha” — a traditional tuft of hair kept on the crown of the head by Brahmins as a symbol of devotion.

Subsequently, Brahmin outfits strongly slammed the administration, and even called the BJP “anti-Brahmin”. Meanwhile, Adityanath launched a barrage of attacks on the seer.

Pathak’s path

It was under these circumstances that Adityanath’s deputy, Brijesh Pathak, performed what was perceived as a damage-control exercise: He, to the surprise of many in the BJP, performed a “batuk puja” with 101 “batuks”.

With Brahmin leaders and their outfits slamming the BJP government for “humiliating the community” and Avimukteshwaranand questioning Adityanath’s Hindu credentials, Pathak’s move was seen as an attempt to placate the electorally influential community and blunt rivals’ campaigns to smear the BJP as “anti-Brahmin”.

“Dragging the batuks by their shikhas is maha paap (a great sin),” said Pathak in the Assembly after being cornered by the Opposition on the issue.

Political analysts opined that Pathak — once considered to be close to BSP chief Mayawati before he left that party to join the BJP in 2016, a year before the 2017 Assembly polls — would not have taken a diametrically opposite stand on the Avimukteshwaranand issue without the “blessing” of the party high command.

“It is well known that Adityanath always wants to have his way… Pathak’s open criticism of the administration in dealing with the seer will certainly not go down well with the chief minister,” said a Lucknow-based analyst.

He said that the BJP had tasked Pathak with primarily expanding its support base in the Brahmin community. “Pathak’s importance lies in his ability to ensure the Brahmins’ support to the party, and he knows that very well,” noted the analyst.

The effect

Interestingly, Pathak’s outreach to the Brahmins comes close on the heels of a meeting with the BJP’s 50-odd Brahmin lawmakers to discuss what many of them said was the community’s “marginalisation” in the state’s caste politics.

Some analysts and UP BJP leaders — especially those hailing from the “Thakur” community — feel that Pathak’s outreach and taking a different line may be aimed at sending a message to the Brahmin MLAs that he is ready to back them.

Newly-appointed UP BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary had taken exception to the meeting and warned against holding caste-specific gatherings, stating that such acts would be viewed as “indiscipline”. A similar meeting of the party’s Thakur MLAs had taken place earlier, but the leadership had not questioned it.

Chaudhary’s remarks, however, evoked a sharp but measured response from one of the Brahmin MLAs. “Brahmins are considered guides and thinkers in the Sanatan traditions. Wherever Brahmins gather, there is discussion of knowledge and reason that strengthens the Hindu identity. The Brahmins unite the society and not divide it,” said BJP lawmaker Panchananda Pathak, indicating a rift within the party on the issue.

While it is too early to predict how Adityanath will deal with the situation, it will be interesting to see if Pathak continues to chart this course, even if it means risking the CM's ire.