UP BJP divided over Brahmin MLAs’ meeting in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh BJP appears to be a divided house over a recent meeting of the party’s Brahmin MLAs and MLCs in Lucknow. While the newly appointed state unit chief, Pankaj Chaudhury, warned lawmakers against holding such caste-based meetings—saying they would be deemed acts of indiscipline in the future—Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and several other leaders maintained that there was nothing wrong with the gathering.On December 23, during the winter session of the Uttar Pradesh legislature, a group of Brahmin MLAs met in Lucknow. The meeting, which drew considerable attention, included rebel MLAs from the Samajwadi Party as well as BJP legislators. It was held at the Lucknow residence of BJP’s Kushinagar MLA, Panchanand Pathak, on the occasion of his wife’s birthday.Around 45–50 Brahmin MLAs from Purvanchal and Bundelkhand attended the gathering. They were served litti-chokha, while those observing Tuesday’s fast were offered falahar (a fruit-based meal). According to sources, after the meeting, the Chief Minister’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Sarvan Baghel, called Pathak to inquire about the event. Pathak reportedly clarified that it was not a political meeting but a community feast.Subsequently, state BJP chief Pankaj Chaudhury issued a stern statement, asserting that caste-based meetings go against the Constitution and the party’s values, and warned that any repetition would be treated as indiscipline.However, a section of BJP leaders, including Deputy CM Keshav Maurya, disagreed with this view. “The perspective is wrong, not the objective. People meet, and they should,” Maurya said. “If an MLA attends someone’s birthday, anniversary, or goes to eat litti-chokha, it should not be seen as a caste-based meeting.”



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