Amarmani Tripathi’s home turf calls his release a gamechanger for 2024, family keeps plans under wraps

“Woh humare kaddawar neta hain. Unka koi dosh nahi tha. Phasa diye gaye thay. Aur agar dosh tha bhi toh 20 saal ki saza mein vyakti badal jaata hai (He is a big leader. He was not guilty and was framed. And if he was guilty, spending 20 years in jail changes a person),” Shailendra Barnwal, 26, who sells noodles near the railway station, told The Indian Express.

Barnwal was aged just six on May 8, 2003, when two assailants shot dead Madhumita – with whom Tripathi was alleged to have been in a relationship — at her Lucknow residence. Although he has not seen Tripathi’s active days in politics, Barnwal is certain that his comeback “will be huge for politics in eastern Uttar Pradesh”.

“I have heard from elders that he is a great leader and that everything in Maharajganj is because of him. He built the roads here, brought electricity, gave a bypass,” said Barnwal, watching reels on his phone as he awaited customers.

Brijesh Mani Tripathi, chairman of Nautanwa Nagar Palika, who is close to the Tripathi family, said the former minister’s release will be a gamechanger for the 2024 general elections in eastern Uttar Pradesh. “Whether he contests or not, or if he campaigns, it doesn’t matter. Even if he stands on the stage, it will change the samikaran (political equation),” he said.

Many consider Tripathi’s release as a move by the BJP to appease the influential Brahmin community – to which he belongs – in eastern Uttar Pradesh ahead of the general elections. The BJP has been accused of being anti-Brahmin by Opposition parties at different times, and Tripathi’s release, many said, will help it garner support of the community.

Amarmani Tripathi’s Farm House at Nautanwa,Maharajganj Express photo by Vishal Srivastav

A four-time MLA, Tripathi has been associated with all four major parties in the state – Congress, SP, BSP and BJP – and also won an election from jail.

However, his family is keeping the plans – if Tripathi will return to politics and for which party – under wraps for now. Tripathi’s son Aman Mani, 32, a former MLA from Nautanwa who is out on bail in the murder case of his wife Sara, is currently the face of the family in public.

In Pahuni, the Tripathis’ ancestral village, the support for their leader is stronger – across religions and castes.

“Buss ek baar bol de woh ki kisko vote dena. Usi ko vote jayega. Har ek vote usi ko denge. Agar woh khud khade honge toh ek record banega (He just has to say who we should vote for. We will vote accordingly. And if he stands in the elections, he will create a new record),” said Sohail Khan, a 35-year-old tailor.

Across the village, there is excitement over their leader’s return. “The day he comes here will not be less than Diwali for us. People from the whole district will gather to welcome him,” said Om Prakash Shukla, a 68-year-old farmer with 10 acres of farm land.

Aman Mani, however, preferred to play down speculation around his father’s comeback in politics. “We haven’t decided anything or thought anything so far. We are a political family,” he said.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, Aman Mani, who contested from Nautanwa as an Independent, stood third, securing 20.46% votes. Rishi, the candidate of NISHAD party, a BJP ally, won the election, garnering 40% votes.

Asked if there is an understanding with the BJP, considering that the current government released his parents, Aman Mani said, “It is not about any understanding. But we have very good family relations with Maharaj ji (Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath). The relations are not political.”

“Our only priority is that my parents get the best treatment and come out of there (BRD Medical College) as per doctor’s advice,” he said at the family home in Gorakhpur’s Durgavani locality.

Amarmani Tripathi’s House in Gorakhpur City. Express photo by Vishal Srivastav

Although formally released, the Tripathi couple continue to remain in a private ward at the hospital. Aman Mani said his father has a neurological disorder along with spinal cord and orthopedic issues, while his mother has psychiatric issues.

Dr Rajesh Kumar Rai, Chief Medical Superintendent of BRD Medical College, said, “They are undergoing treatment and their discharge is in the hands of the doctors treating them.”

While Tripathi, considered by many as a “bahubali” or strongman, continues to enjoy the image of a “messiah” in his home turf, the family of Madhumita Shukla are still not done with their fight for justice.

Madhumita’s sister Nidhi Shukla has written to President Droupadi Murmu and Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, opposing the release, citing an ongoing Supreme Court hearing in the matter, and accusing Tripathi of misleading the authorities. According to her, she feared for her life after his release.

Opposition SP leader and Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav has also questioned the government’s decision to release the Tripathis, equating it to the remission of sentence for the Bilkis Bano case convicts.

Tripathi’s main political rival Kunwar Kaushal Singh, a former SP MLA, alleged: “He is a man convicted of murdering an innocent woman after being in a relationship with her. He has so many criminal activities attached to him that if I sit down telling you, it will take hours.”

“Now, the people are happy that he is coming back. I don’t understand this kind of society where murderers and convicts are celebrated for being development oriented. The only development he has done is for his family,” said Singh, 53, who had stood second in the 2022 polls in Nautanwa with 33.23% votes.

Tripathi’s “office” in Nautanwa, like his residence in Gorakhpur, is spread over one acre land. The premises has an office, a house, a temple and parking space.

A CBI court in Uttarakhand, where the murder case was transferred by the Supreme Court, had in 2007 convicted the Tripathi couple and two others, including his nephew Rohit Chaturvedi. In July 2012, the Uttarakhand High Court upheld the life term awarded to the four convicts.