Days after 'Brahmin' legislators' meeting, UP BJP warns MLAs against organising 'caste' specific meetings

Lucknow: Apparently perturbed over the recent meeting of ‘Brahmin’ legislators, mostly from the BJP, in which they reportedly expressed concern over ‘marginalisation’ of the community in Uttar Pradesh's caste politics, the state party leadership on Saturday cautioned the legislators against holding caste specific meetings and said that they would be viewed as an act of’ indiscipline’.

According to the BJP sources here, newly appointed state party president Pankaj Chaudhary has told the MLAs that such meetings were not ‘in accordance with the traditions’ of the party.

Sources said that the ‘Brahmin’ MLAs of the party had planned to hold another meeting here on January 5, but it has now been cancelled following the warning.

‘’The legislators have been advised not to fall prey to the negative and casteist politics ....such meetings send a wrong message,’’ said a state party leader here.

Chaudhary warned that any such meeting in the future would be viewed as an act of ‘indiscipline’.

The meeting of the ‘Brahmin’ MLAs, came close on the heels of a similar meeting by dozens of ‘Thakur’ MLAs, who had then said that it was for the purpose of forming a ‘kutumb’ (family) of the community legislators. As many as 50 MLAs were present at the meeting.

Although many of the attending MLAs remained tightlipped about the discussions at the meeting, sources said that several ‘Brahmin’ leaders expressed concern over what they termed as ‘marginalisation’ of the community in the caste politics of the state.

Some ‘Brahmin’ MLAs said that their community members were being ‘insulted’ and that the administration turned a blind eye to their concerns. The MLAs stressed the need to be more ‘assertive’ in state politics.

An aide of chief minister Yogi Adityanath had called one of the MLAs 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 had said.