Lucknow: Six months after he retired from the Jaipur Raj Bhawan, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Kalraj Mishra is stirring the political pot again in Uttar Pradesh. The 84-year-old has been holding forth on a range of issues—from the contentious UGC equity regulations to ‘Shankaracharya’ Swamy Avimukteswaranand controversy, and issues concerning the Brahmins in the state.
Mishra has criticised the University Grants Commission’s regulations on combating caste discrimination on campuses, and condemned the alleged manhandling of Avimukteshwaranand’s followers during in Prayagraj on the Mauni Amavasya on January 18.
Mishra has announced plans to expand the outreach of his Brahmin outfit, the Vishwa Brahmin Kalyan Parishad, in the coming days. Speaking to ThePrint, Mishra outlined his plans in detail.
He said the UGC rules, which have been stayed by the SC, violated basic human rights. He pointed out that while the rules provided for the representation of SC, ST and OBC communities in the equity committees—which were to be set up by the head of institutions to look into the cases of caste discrimination—they made no mention of representation of the general category.
“Where is the equality in that?” he asked. “In colleges, everyone is a student, friendships are beyond caste lines but such regulations will disturb the harmony on the campuses, that’s why I raised my voice.”
He also flagged the absence of provisions to act against those who file false complaints under the UGC rules, arguing that this could encourage misuse and lead to the targeting of upper-caste individuals.
“That is why I raised my voice. I am not against the central government, I am against the UGC regulations only,” he said, adding that he would continue to oppose the regulations, including through his Brahmin organisation.
Mishra said the Vishwa Brahmin Kalyan Parishad was formed in 2025 after his retirement as governor of Rajasthan and that he now plans to focus more actively on expanding its outreach.
“Historically, Brahmins have believed in social harmony. Woh sabko saath lekar chalte hain (they take everyone along). That message needs to reach everyone, even to the power corridors” he said.
‘I am not against the central government, I am against the UGC regulations only,’ says Kalraj Mishra.
Then he spoke on the Swamy Avimukteswaranand issue. The Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath has been at the centre of a controversy after he was stopped by the Prayagraj administration and police from proceeding to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during Mauni Amavasya. His supporters alleged that they were manhandled by police during the incident.
Mishra said, “I have always been respectful towards saints. We all revere the Shankaracharyas. The way the police manhandled his close aides, those visuals were hurtful. This should not have happened.”
The Shankaracharya and UGC controversies sparked a stir within the UP BJP, prompting several local leaders to resign. While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath likened the Shankaracharya, without naming him, to “Kaal Nemi-like forces,” Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya referred to him as “Bhagwan Shankaracharya.”
On whether he was becoming politically active again, Mishra said politicians never truly retire and can remain active in different forms. As of now, he is active in Noida and Lucknow, where he has houses.
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The Brij Bhushan meeting
A few days ago, former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and a few other leaders from Uttar Pradesh met Kalraj Mishra, and praised him for speaking out against the UGC regulations.
Some BJP functionaries in Uttar Pradesh say Mishra could become more active in the coming days, though the party has so far not assigned any formal role to its senior leaders from the old guard.
Mishra has served twice as the Uttar Pradesh BJP president, and three terms as Rajya Sabha member. He was also a Union minister from 2014 to 2017. He was appointed governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2019 and later the same year took charge as governor of Rajasthan.
आज आदरणीय @KalrajMishra जी से भेंट कर UGC से जुड़े विवाद पर न्यायसंगत एवं तर्कसंगत पक्ष रखने के लिए उनका आभार व्यक्त किया। pic.twitter.com/v172NqzSZf
— BrijBhushan Sharan Singh (@b_bhushansharan) February 2, 2026
Party insiders say that, amid a rising focus on “Brahmin politics,” Mishra is positioning himself as a prominent and vocal Brahmin leader to reassert his political relevance.
A UP BJP leader, considered close to Kalraj Mishra, said there is a vacuum as far as the Brahmin leadership in Uttar Pradesh is concerned. Leaders who currently hold power, like Brajesh Pathak and Jitin Prasada, do not openly raise Brahmin issues, which may not go down well with the party high command, they said.
At 84, Kalraj Mishra has nothing to lose politically. His contemporaries are either sidelined or in the BJP Margadarshan Mandal. One of his associates claimed that many Brahmin leaders quietly support Mishra’s stand and they see him as a “guru”.
Another close aide said Mishra’s son is active in Uttar Pradesh politics but has never received a party ticket. During the 2014 bypoll for the Lucknow East assembly seat, Mishra wanted the ticket for his son, but it was given to Ashutosh Tandon, son of former governor Lalji Tandon.
UP-based political analyst Dr. Shilp Shikha Singh said raising issues is different from being active on the ground.
“Kalraj Mishra is undoubtedly a big name in UP politics, the Kalraj-Kalyan (Kalraj Mishra and Kalyan Singh) duo was among the most popular leadership combinations in the Uttar Pradesh BJP during the 1990s but I doubt the BJP will rely on old guard leaders in upcoming elections. The party is trying to promote new leadership,” she said.
However, she added that in politics, everyone tries to remain relevant, and there is nothing wrong in that.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)