LUCKNOW: Expelled BSP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth on Thrusday announced that he was taking “sanyas” from politics, a day after BSP chief Mayawati said his retirement was necessary if her nephew and Siddharth’s son-in-law, Akash Anand, was to get another chance to rise in the party.Siddharth, who was expelled from the BSP for the second time on August 2 over alleged anti-party activities, said he had decided to withdraw from politics.His announcement came hours after Mayawati said Siddharth could still give up his political ambitions and “rise above personal interests” to help Akash Anand’s political future.“Ashok Siddharth can still give up his political ambitions, rise above personal interests, and retire from politics. Only then will Akash Anand be able to work freely in the party, and the party will sympathetically consider restoring his responsibilities so that he can play an active role. This is the consensus in the party,” Mayawati had said in a statement on Wednesday.The BSP chief also blamed Siddharth for the setbacks faced by Akash, saying he had prioritised his “personal and familial interests and ambitions” over the party’s mission.“The party gave Ashok Siddharth not one but several opportunities to mend ways, but he prioritised his personal and familial interests and ambitions over the BSP’s mission, the consequences of which he himself, along with his son-in-law Akash Anand, had to bear,” Mayawati said.
Siddharth expelled twice
Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha member of the BSP, was expelled from the party for the second time on August 2. He had earlier been expelled in February last year but was reinstated in September after apologising to Mayawati.His latest expulsion came amid growing differences within the party over the role of Akash Anand, who is married to Siddharth’s daughter.Mayawati had earlier expelled Akash from the party on March 3 last year, saying he was under the influence of his father-in-law. Akash later apologised and was taken back into the party in April. He was subsequently appointed national convener of the BSP.
Mayawati curbs Akash’s role
The latest setback for Akash came at an all-India meeting of the BSP on September 3, when Mayawati announced that she had “allowed” him to work as an ordinary party worker.Although she did not explicitly announce his removal from the national post, Mayawati said Akash needed to become “more mature” and that it would not be appropriate to give him any major responsibility until then.In her statement on Wednesday, Mayawati again linked Akash’s political setbacks to Siddharth, making it clear that the latter’s continued political ambitions remained a concern within the BSP.She said that if Siddharth retired from politics completely, it would help Akash work more freely in the party and could pave the way for the BSP to consider restoring responsibilities to him.Siddharth’s announcement of political “sanyas” now comes against this backdrop, potentially removing the key obstacle Mayawati had publicly identified to Akash’s return to a larger role in the party.