Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak Thursday hosted more than 100 young Brahmins (‘batuks’) at his official residence here, seemingly to reinforce his ‘pro-Brahmin’ stance and send a political message.
As part of the outreach, a puja was held along with a pushp varshan during which flower petals were showered on the batuks. Later in the day, Pathak and fellow Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Lucknow. The previous day, the sarsanghachalak held a meeting with CM Yogi Adityanath that lasted for nearly 35 minutes.
His outreach to young Brahmins came two days after Pathak, the BJP MLA from Lucknow Central, joined Maurya in criticising police action against batuks accompanying Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati to the Mauni Amavasya snan during the Magh Mela held in Prayagraj last month. Avimukteshwaranand is the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math.
Calling the police action a “maha paap” (grave sin), Pathak had said Tuesday during an event in Lucknow, “Choti pakad kar batukon ko kheenchna bahut galat tha…maha paap.”
(The act of pulling batuks by their hair was extremely wrong; a grave sin)
"बटुकों का सम्मान, हमारा सौभाग्य"
आज आवास पर देव स्वरूप छोटे बटुक ब्राह्मणों ने अतिथि स्वरूप पधारकर हमें और हमारे आवास की धराभूमि को धन्य किया है, सभी बटुक ब्राह्मणों का सपत्नीक आत्मीय स्वागत एवं अभिनंदन करते हुए आशीर्वाद प्राप्त किया।
आप सभी के स्नेह, कृपा, और आशीर्वाद से… pic.twitter.com/gnfBFWWIYp
— Brajesh Pathak (@brajeshpathakup) February 19, 2026
“The narrative of Brahmin anger was already there, and the lathi charge on the ‘batuks’ only intensified it. At such a time, someone needs to address the issue. Instead of doing that, the CM raised questions about the Shankaracharya’s title. This is a time to unite Hindus, not to raise such questions. It is also the time to address the concerns of Brahmins,” a senior UP BJP functionary seen as close to Pathak told ThePrint.
“Pathak ji has chosen the right moment as he is a popular Brahmin face. The high command may reward him for this either in the upcoming cabinet expansion or after the polls,” the functionary added.
But Brajesh Pathak’s support for Avimukteshwaranand is unlikely to go down well with CM Yogi Adityanath who came under attack from the seer over the administration’s handling of the Magh Mela faceoff. Avimukteshwaranand was stopped from proceeding for Mauni Amavasya snan in his handheld carriage on account of crowd control measures.
The seer then accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of being “anti-Hindu”, while his aides termed CM Yogi Adityanath “anti-Brahmin”.
On his part, the chief minister without taking any names questioned the use of the title “Shankaracharya” by some. Speaking in the state Assembly, he said not everyone can use the title and stressed that both religious decorum and the rule of law must be maintained. He also used the term “Kalanemi” (demon) in one of his statements, targeting those who he said take shelter behind religion while weakening “Sanatan Dharma”.
Just weeks before Pathak’s outreach, fellow UP Deputy CM Maurya had openly criticised the lathi-charge on Avimukteshwaranand’s close aides in Prayagraj and requested him to proceed with the Mauni Amavasya snan. In response, Avimukteshwaranand said Maurya should be the chief minister since he understands ‘how to handle such situations’.
“Many times Maurya ji has indicated that party workers should not be ignored, that is why he says the organisation is bigger than the government. If workers begin to feel sidelined, how can the party expect to form the government again? He only reminds the government to stay on the right track,” a close aide of Maurya told ThePrint, requesting anonymity.
“Just 11 months are left for elections. There is a need of course correction; ‘bulldozer’ or lathicharge will not work everywhere,” the aide added.
Political analyst Dr SK Dwivedi, a retired professor from Lucknow University, described the sequence of events as a “natural power tussle”.
Such differences between the chief minister and his deputies are not uncommon, he pointed out. “However, with elections approaching, leaders should try to minimise public differences. Yogi Adityanath is undoubtedly very popular, but the central organisation should ensure better coordination among cabinet colleagues. Otherwise, it could give the Opposition an opportunity to raise questions,” Dr Dwivedi told ThePrint.
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‘Natural power tussle’ in UP BJP
This, however, is not the first time Yogi Adityanath’s deputies have openly undermined the chief minister. In July 2022, Pathak raised questions about the manner in which doctors were being transferred within the state health department.
Transfers, he said, were not done as per rules and specialist doctors were being moved out of important places like Lucknow without proper replacements.
Given that Pathak himself is the minister for health and medical education, his remarks were seen as criticism of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). During the surge in COVID-19 cases in April 2021 too, Pathak had in a letter expressed concern over the shortage of hospital beds and ambulances, while challenging poor management in Lucknow.
Similarly, in 2024, Deputy CM Maurya wrote to the Department of Appointment and Personnel, saying reservation policies should be followed properly in government recruitment done through outsourcing or contractual appointments. “Sangathan sarkaar se bada hai (the organisation is bigger than the government),” Maurya had said in August 2022 and again as 2024—a remark seen as a veiled message to Yogi Adityanath.
Notably, the BJP had contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections under Maurya’s leadership since he was the state BJP president.
A BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, speaking on condition of anonymity, told ThePrint that both Pathak and Maurya enjoy the backing of the BJP’s central leadership. “They can take a different stand when needed, and sometimes it becomes necessary,” the BJP leader said.
Adding, “We have to keep our vote base in mind and also energise party workers. There is nothing wrong in that but they should keep in mind that these issues shouldn’t become big.
“If there is a lathicharge on Shankaracharya’s close aides and it sends a wrong message to the Brahmins, then someone should speak up.”
An official in the CMO said Yogi Adityanath is known for taking a firm stand on issues, which has become his unique selling proposition.
“People appreciate his image as a strong and strict leader. He has faced internal challenges in the past as well, yet he has remained chief minister for over nine years. That itself shows he enjoys the trust of the party’s high command,” the official said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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Split UP into 3 parts. Give one part each, to Yogi, Maurya and Pathak.
End of story. UP is too big anyway.
And you can have rotation policy, of these 3 among the 3 new states.