New Delhi: A day after removing nephew Akash Anand from the organisational post, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati expelled him from the party Monday. She accused Akash of being under the continued influence of his father-in-law, former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth, which was affecting the party’s interests.
In an official statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), former Uttar Pradesh CM and BSP chief Mayawati said that Akash’s social media post just after his removal from the post was a sign of his political immaturity, forcing her to also remove him from the party.
Akash was removed from the post of national coordinator and as Mayawati’s political successor Sunday.
“In the interest of the self-respect and self-esteem movement of the most revered Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and following the tradition of discipline of the venerable Shri Kanshiram ji, Shri Akash Anand, like his father-in-law, is expelled from the party in the interest of the party and the movement,” Mayawati said in the post Monday.
Earlier Monday, in a post on X after his expulsion, Akash said every decision taken by Mayawati was “like a patthar ki lakir” (set in stone).
“I am a cadre of the most revered 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 life,” he said. “Every decision of respected sister ji is set in stone. I respect her every decision and stand by that decision.”
He said he would continue his work for the party and the mission with full devotion and said he would “fight for the rights of my society” till his “last breath”.
“Some people from the Opposition are under the impression that my political career is over because of the party’s decision. 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,” his post added.
Mayawati replaced the 30-year-old with two national coordinators—Akash’s father Anand Kumar and senior party leader Ramji Gautam.
This is the second time in a year that Akash has been removed as the party’s national coordinator.
In May last year, Mayawati removed Akash as her political heir as well as the party’s national coordinator, saying that he needs to attain “maturity” before assuming such important roles. The BSP supremo then did a U-turn the next month, as she reinstated Akash after her party failed to open its account in the Lok Sabha polls.
ThePrint has reached out to both Akash and Ashok Siddharth on call with a request for comment. The story will be updated if and when they respond.
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‘Influence’ of father-in-law become the reason
BSP functionaries told ThePrint that Akash’s father-in-law Ashok Siddharth was a central reason behind the ongoing rift in the party.
He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2016 to 2022. Till he was expelled from the party last month, Siddharth had been associated with the party for more than three decades, serving as its in-charge in various states.
Party functionaries who were present in the BSP meeting held Sunday said Mayawati called Siddharth “over-ambitious” and alleged that he tried to divide the party. She also accused him and his daughter, Akash’s wife Pragya, of trying to influence Akash’s political life, which was affecting the party.
One senior leader who was present in the meeting told ThePrint, “In 2.5 hour-long meeting of party functionaries, behan ji said, ‘I promoted Ashok Sidharth within the party as he was portraying himself a loyalist but after Akash’s marriage with his daughter, he started considering himself as a second-in-command in the party.’”
She further said, “I heard complaints that he used to pretend to be a big shot after her daughter’s marriage. His daughter Pragya was also influencing Akash’s political activities. I can not give this party in such hands.”
On the condition of anonymity, another leader told ThePrint that Ashok Siddharth and Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam were emerging as two different lobbies in the BSP. “While Siddharth had Akash Anand and other young leaders on his side where Ramji Gautam had the backing of old guards, including Satish Mishra.”
“So, some rift was going between these lobbies, but Mishra has a more direct connect with Mayawati, so Ramji Gautam’s lobby became successful in influencing Mayawati to take action against Ashok Siddharth, and Akash paid the price of being his son-in-law,” they added.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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