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The importance of being Amarmani Tripathi in the politics of eastern UP

Aug 29, 2023 04:56 PM IST

Tripathi was serving his sentence for the murder of poet Madhumita Shukla. His so-called "Robin Hood" image could serve him well if he returns to politics

Lucknow: A 'Robin hood' image, a dictionary definition of which means a "heroic outlaw", in his heyday and political affiliations of all shades, from red to saffron, made former minister Amarmani Tripathi popular as a Brahmin leader in eastern Uttar Pradesh, particularly in Maharajganj district from the 1980s onwards.

Considered a 'baahubali' (one who has muscle power) and an influential Brahmin leader in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Tripathi started his political career with the Communist Party of India(HT Archive) PREMIUM
Considered a 'baahubali' (one who has muscle power) and an influential Brahmin leader in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Tripathi started his political career with the Communist Party of India(HT Archive)

His political clout remained largely undiminished despite being sentenced to life imprisonment with his wife Madhumani Tripathi in the 2003 Madhumita Shukla murder case.

Tripathi’s popularity too appears to have endured as his office in Maharajganj district’s Nautanwa assembly constituency was abuzz with activity after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered his premature release on August 24.

Though Tripathi is still under medical observation at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, his supporters thronged the office after the announcement of his release. They were eager to find out when he would visit the place.

Anup Pandey, one such supporter, said, “We are eagerly awaiting his discharge from BRD Medical College hospital and his visit to Nautanwa that sent him to the legislative assembly four times. We have full faith in the Constitution and the judiciary. Justice has been done in the case.”

Prabhakar Upadhyay, a student leader, said, “The release of Amarmani has energised his supporters. The political scenario in Maharajganj and its adjoining districts is set to change with his release from jail. Amarmani's political moves will make an impact on the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Cutting across party and caste loyalties, he enjoys the support of all the communities in Maharajganj district.”

Considered a 'baahubali' (one who has muscle power) and an influential Brahmin leader in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Tripathi started his political career with the Communist Party of India (CPI) under the patronage of his uncle, veteran communist leader Shyam Narayan Tiwari who won the Pharenda assembly seat in Maharajaganj district five times.

Tripathi was a member of the CPI student wing All India Students Federation (AISF) and was tasked with mobilising youths to join the red brigade.

In the early 1980s, the Thakur-Brahmin rivalry became intense in the Gorakhpur region and was marked by a tussle for supremacy between Hari Shankar Tiwari, who led the Brahmin group and Virendra Pratap Shahi who led the Thakur group. Tripathi joined Tiwari's group where he again proved his utility by challenging Shahi in the 1981 and 1985 assembly elections from the Laxmipur seat.

Though he lost both elections, Tripathi emerged as a hero of the Brahmin community. Later, he won the Laxmipur assembly seat in 1989, 1996 and 2002.

After delimitation, Laxmipur was merged with Nautanwa and Tripathi again won in the 2007 assembly election.

Tripathi’s political clout in the area could be gauged from the fact that all the major political parties -- the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) – opened their doors to him as he hopped from one party to another according to the changing political scenario in Uttar Pradesh. Even in jail, he enjoyed political patronage.

Amarmani Tripathi's supporters assemble at his office in Nautanwa town in Maharajganj district after the state government ordered his release from jail. (Author)
Amarmani Tripathi's supporters assemble at his office in Nautanwa town in Maharajganj district after the state government ordered his release from jail. (Author)

Despite serving life imprisonment since 2007, he spent merely 16 months in jail. Ailments ranging from spondylitis to depression kept him out of prison and put him in hospital in different spells for a large part of his sentence.

He was a minister in the Kalyan Singh government in 1997, in the Ram Prakash Gupta government in 1999, in the Rajnath Singh government in 2000 and, again, in the Mayawati government in 2002.

Tripathi played a vital role in installing the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in 2003 by engineering defections from the BSP.

The Samajwadi Party leaders called him "the saviour of democracy" after the Mayawati government was dislodged in August 2003.

Over the years, his Robinhood image helped him to consolidate his hold in the area.

"Once, he, along with his supporters, stopped a goods train transporting fertilizer and distributed it among the farmers when there was a urea crisis during the paddy sowing season. He assisted the poor people in the marriage of their daughters as well as in the treatment of illness. His office in Nautanwa remained open round the clock. Even local disputes were resolved in the office,” said Brahmanand Singh, a schoolteacher.

Tripathi will be walking free months after the demise of his mentor Tiwari (mentioned earlier), a gangster-turned-politician considered to be the undisputed leader of Brahmins in eastern UP.

Though Tripathi will not be able to contest elections, his supporters hope he may fill the political vacuum left by his mentor Tiwari to emerge as a Brahmin leader in the region.

Tiwari’s two sons Vinay Shankar Tiwari and Bhism Shankar Tiwari lack the charisma to claim the legacy of their father, a vacuum his supporters feel will be filled by Tripathi.

Tripathi might have been out of the political arena of eastern UP for over a decade but his political hold continues in the area. In the panchayat election and urban local bodies election, his supporters won the posts of gram pradhan and nagar palika parishad chairman in Maharajganj district. His aide Brijesh Mani Tripathi is chairman of the Nautanwa nagar palika parishad.

“The BJP has promoted several Brahmin leaders from the region, including Shiv Pratap Shukla, who is governor of Himachal Pradesh, Deoria MP Ramapati Ram Tripathi, actor and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan, Kushinagar MP Vijay Dubey and Basti MP Harish Dwivedi to maintain its hold over the Brahmin community, but they lack the appeal among the community that Amarmani Tripathi enjoys,” said Jai Kumar Gupta, a political observer.

“The message has gone to the Brahmin community that Tripathi has been released with the blessings of the BJP leadership and government. With his support, the BJP may try to consolidate its hold in the Brahmin-dominated area of East UP,” he said

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