Who is MoS Home Ajay Mishra, who has alleged "opposition's conspiracy" behind dragging his son's name in Lakhimpur incident?

By Rajnish Singh
New Delhi [India], October 6 : Facing political backlash after the Lakhimpur Kheri incident with his son's name being involved in the case, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra made it clear that "negative politics" is behind the spread and that there is "opposition's conspiracy" behind the issue in which all angles will be probed thoroughly by investigating agencies.
Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha, Mishra, the 61-year-old senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, has denied the presence of his son on the spot of the incident that took place on Sunday, leaving eight, including four farmers, dead.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has named Mishra's son in its First Information Report (FIR) accusing that he was sitting in a car that mowed down protesting farmers on Sunday.
Born on September 1960 to Ambica Parsad Misra (father) and Prem Dulari Misra (mother) in Banveer Pur village in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, Mishra was appointed as the MoS in the July 2021 Union Cabinet rejig.
Representing the Lakhimpur Kheri constituency of Uttar Pradesh, Mishra's son Ashish is closely involved with his father's political work and is often managing things in the Minister's constituency.
The Minister has two sons and a daughter and is married to Puspa Misra.
The MoS is an agriculturist and industrialist.
He attended the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University and attained Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Law degrees from Christ Church College and D.A.V. College Kanpur (Kanpur University) respectively.
In May 2012, Mishra was elected as MLA in the 16th Legislative Assembly from Nighasan. In May 2014, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (16th Lok Sabha).
In September 2014, Mishra was appointed as a Member of the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
From 2014 to 2018, the MoS was a Member of the Committee of Parliament on official language.
From 2018 to 2019, the BJP leader was a Member, Convenor of the 1st sub-committee of Parliament on official language.
In May 2019, Mishra was re-elected to 17th Lok Sabha (2nd term) and on July 24, 2019, he became a Member of the Committee on Public Accounts.
On September 13, 2019, the Minister became Member, Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution and on October 9, 2019, he became Member, Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House, and Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
Besides his political engagements, Mishra has a keen interest in poetry and article (essay) writing. He has also organised several literary programmes like seminars and poetry recitation etc.
Creating awareness among rural youths regarding health is among his special interests that include cricket, powerlifting and wrestling.
He has won several competitions at University and district levels in the above-mentioned sports events. He has also organised many wrestling, cricket and powerlifting competitions.
Travelling, studying different cultures, literary stories and articles as well as staging plays and classical music are his hobbies.
An "introvert since childhood and an ordinary student" has been interested in studies and also showing keen interest in sports, Mishra has played an exemplary role in education, sports and other extracurricular activities.
Later on during professional life, moved by social inequalities and deprivation of people of human rights, the Minister joined politics and started his political career as BJP district General Secretary and became a member of Parliament in a very short span of time.
Mishra has also been Vice Chairman, DC Bank Kheri and a Member, Zila Parishad, Kheri.
He is known to have some clout among Brahmin organisations in Uttar Pradesh and his elevation as minister is said to have been an attempt to woo this section. Mishra was the lone Brahmin among the new faces from Uttar Pradesh inducted into the Union cabinet in the recent reshuffle.
He is also a rare Brahmin to have won from Kheri, a seat traditionally dominated by Kurmi leaders.