Lucknow: Six months after he retired from the Jaipur Raj Bhawan, senior BJP chief and former Union minister Kalraj Mishra is stirring the political pot once more in Uttar Pradesh. The 84-year-old has been holding forth on a spread of points—from the contentious UGC fairness rules to ‘Shankaracharya’ Swamy Avimukteswaranand controversy, and points in regards to the Brahmins within the state.

Mishra has criticised the College Grants Fee’s rules on combating caste discrimination on campuses, and condemned the alleged manhandling of Avimukteshwaranand’s followers throughout in Prayagraj on the Mauni Amavasya on January 18. 

He stated the UGC guidelines, which have been stayed by the SC, violated primary human rights. He identified that whereas the foundations offered for the illustration of SC, ST and OBC communities within the fairness committees—which had been to be arrange by the pinnacle of establishments to look into the instances of caste discrimination—they made no point out of illustration of the overall class. 

“The place is the equality in that?” he requested. “In schools, everyone seems to be a pupil, friendships are past caste traces however such rules will disturb the concord on the campuses, that’s why I  raised my voice.” 

He additionally flagged the absence of provisions to behave in opposition to those that file false complaints beneath the UGC guidelines, arguing that this might encourage misuse and result in the concentrating on of upper-caste people. 

“That’s the reason I raised my voice. I’m not in opposition to the central authorities, I’m in opposition to the UGC rules solely,” he stated, including that he would proceed to oppose the rules, together with by way of his Brahmin organisation. 

Mishra stated the Vishwa Brahmin Kalyan Parishad was fashioned in 2025 after his retirement as governor of Rajasthan and that he now plans to focus extra actively on increasing its outreach.

“Traditionally, Brahmins have believed in social concord. Woh sabko saath lekar chalte hain (they take everybody alongside). That message wants to succeed in everybody, even to the ability corridors” he stated. 

‘I’m not in opposition to the central authorities, I’m in opposition to the UGC rules solely,’ says Kalraj Mishra.

Then he spoke on the Swamy Avimukteswaranand difficulty. The Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath has been on the centre of an argument after he was stopped by the Prayagraj administration and police from continuing to take a holy dip on the Triveni Sangam throughout Mauni Amavasya. His supporters alleged that they had been manhandled by police throughout the incident.

Mishra stated, “I’ve at all times been respectful in the direction of saints. All of us revere the Shankaracharyas. The way in which the police manhandled his shut aides, these visuals had been hurtful. This could not have occurred.” 

The Shankaracharya and UGC controversies sparked a stir inside the UP BJP, prompting a number of native leaders to resign. Whereas Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath likened the Shankaracharya, with out naming him, to “Kaal Nemi-like forces,” Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya referred to him as “Bhagwan Shankaracharya.”

On whether or not he was turning into politically lively once more, Mishra stated politicians by no means really retire and may stay lively in several varieties. As of now, he’s lively in Noida and Lucknow, the place he has homes.

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The Brij Bhushan assembly

A number of days in the past, former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and some different leaders from Uttar Pradesh met Kalraj Mishra, and praised him for talking out in opposition to the UGC rules. 

Some BJP functionaries in Uttar Pradesh say Mishra might turn out to be extra lively within the coming days, although the social gathering has to this point not assigned any formal position to its senior leaders from the previous guard. 

Mishra has served twice because the Uttar Pradesh BJP president, and three phrases as Rajya Sabha member. He was additionally a Union minister from 2014 to 2017. He was appointed governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2019 and later the identical yr took cost 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

Get together insiders say that, amid a rising give attention to “Brahmin politics,” Mishra is positioning himself as a distinguished and vocal Brahmin chief to reassert his political relevance.

A UP BJP chief, thought-about near Kalraj Mishra, stated there’s a vacuum so far as the Brahmin management in Uttar Pradesh is anxious. Leaders who at the moment maintain energy, like Brajesh Pathak and Jitin Prasada, don’t overtly increase Brahmin points, which can not go down properly with the social gathering excessive command, they stated.

At 84, Kalraj Mishra has nothing to lose politically. His contemporaries are both sidelined or within the BJP Margadarshan Mandal. One in every of his associates claimed that many Brahmin leaders quietly help Mishra’s stand and so they see him as a “guru”.

One other shut aide stated Mishra’s son is lively in Uttar Pradesh politics however has by no means acquired a celebration ticket. Throughout the 2014 bypoll for the Lucknow East meeting seat, Mishra needed the ticket for his son, nevertheless it was given to Ashutosh Tandon, son of former governor Lalji Tandon.

UP-based political analyst Dr. Shilp Shikha Singh stated elevating points is totally different from being lively on the bottom. 

“Kalraj Mishra is undoubtedly a giant title in UP politics, the Kalraj-Kalyan (Kalraj Mishra and Kalyan Singh) duo was among the many hottest management combos within the Uttar Pradesh BJP throughout the Nineteen Nineties however I doubt the BJP will depend on previous guard leaders in upcoming elections. The social gathering is attempting to advertise new management,” she stated. 

Nevertheless, she added that in politics, everybody tries to stay related, and there’s nothing improper in that. 

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)

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