Akhilesh pretending to well-wisher of Brahmins: Deputy CM Pathak

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday (August 8, 2026) slammed SP president Akhilesh Yadav for “pretending to be a well-wisher” of the Brahmin community and said ideas should be countered with ideas, not with “bitterness and baseless accusations”.

Also read | Those who stole ‘Ram Dhan’ won’t be allowed by Lord Ram to win polls, says Akhilesh Yadav

“Today, you are pretending to be a well-wisher of the Brahmin community, but the words that came from your mouth — asking a journalist his caste and saying, ‘Mishra Ji, have some shame’ — still pierce the heart of the community like a spear,” Mr. Pathak said in a post on X.

He was referring to an earlier interaction between Mr. Yadav and a reporter, a video of which circulated widely online.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s remarks come days after Samajwadi Party chief Mr. Yadav reached out to the Brahmin community, asserting that ‘PDA’ includes Pandits, and also accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of targeting opposition workers, Brahmins, and religious leaders, including Shankaracharya.

Addressing a Brahmin Sammelan organised at the SP state headquarters in Lucknow on the birth anniversary of late socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra on Wednesday (August 5, 2026), Mr. Yadav alleged that the State government denied permission to hold the event at its proposed venue, Janeshwar Mishra Park in Gomti Nagar, which forced the party to hold it at their office premises instead.

Deputy CM Pathak hit back at the SP leader, targeting him over “dynastic politics”.

“Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia was one of the staunchest opponents of dynastic politics. He used to say that one who clings to the family becomes alienated from society. He also believed that when the family becomes the most powerful entity, society weakens,” Mr. Pathak posted in Hindi.

“Those who engage in politics in Lohia’s name today are the very ones who have abandoned his ideals. Had Lohia been alive today, he would have been the first to rigorously question those who make dynastic politics the basis of their political activity. He would never have accepted a brand of politics aimed at securing power for one’s family,” Mr. Pathak said.

The BJP leader added that the upliftment of society is not achieved by bringing one family to power, but by ensuring equal opportunities, justice, and respect for every section of society.

“As far as my public life is concerned, it is the public that evaluates it. I have always accorded the highest priority to the organisation, the Constitution, and public service. Personal allegations, abusive language, and malicious propaganda can neither alter the truth nor the public’s trust,” he said.

Pathak also said that the politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party is based on the principles of “Nation First, Organisation Foremost, and Antyodaya” (upliftment of the last person), whereas the fundamental objective of dynastic politics is to confine power to a single family.

“The public fully understands this distinction. Differences of opinion are natural in a democracy. However, ideas should be countered with ideas and facts with facts, rather than with confusion, bitterness, and baseless allegations,” he said.