Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday expelled her nephew Akash Anand from the party, a day after he was removed as its national coordinator.
“In the all-India meeting of the Bahujan Samaj Party yesterday, Akash Anand was relieved from all responsibilities, including the post of national coordinator, due to him being influenced by his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, who was expelled from the party,” Mayawati wrote on social media.
Siddharth, along with the Bahujan Samaj Party’s central-state coordinator Nitin Singh, was expelled on 12 February for alleged factionalism and indulging in “anti-party activities.”
“He was expected to repent and show maturity,” she said.
She went on to say: “But on the contrary, the lengthy response given by Akash is not a sign of his remorse and political maturity, but is mostly selfish, arrogant and non-missionary under the influence of his father-in-law, whom I have been advising everybody in the party to avoid.”
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister stated that she had made the decision “in the interest of the self-respect and self-esteem movement of BR Ambedkar and following the tradition of the discipline of Kanshiram ji”.
Earlier, Anand said that he respects every decision taken by Mayawati and regards them as being carved in stone.
“I am a cadre of Mayawati ji and under her leadership I have learnt unforgettable lessons of sacrifice, loyalty and dedication, all these are not just an idea for me, but the purpose of my life,” he said.
He added: “The decision of respected sister Mayawati ji to relieve me from all the posts of the party is personally emotional for me, but at the same time it is a big challenge now, the test is difficult and the fight is long.”
“Some people from the opposition party are thinking that my political career is over because of this decision of the party,” he said. “They should understand that the Bahujan movement is not a career but a fight for self-respect and self-esteem of crores of Dalits, exploited, deprived and poor people.”
