Days after being booked in poll code case, Mayawati nephew calls off 2 rallies; BSP cites ‘personal reasons’

Auraiya district encompasses parts of both the Etawah and Kannauj Lok Sabha constituencies, both of which are scheduled for polling in the fourth phase on May 13

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Anand, 33, is BSP chief Mayawati’s nephew and said to be her political successor. (File Photo)

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national coordinator Akash Anand, a key campaigner for the party in the Lok Sabha election, has called off his two election rallies scheduled this week. The move comes days after Anand was booked for allegedly making “objectionable” remarks during a public address in Sitapur on April 28. Anand had hit out at the BJP in his speech.

Party leaders, however, claim that the cancellation of these events was due to “personal reasons”. Anand, 28, is BSP chief Mayawati’s nephew and said to be her political successor.

The two meetings, originally scheduled for May 1 in Auraiya and Hamirpur, were cancelled. The cancellations occurred suddenly and the decision was swiftly communicated to the respective district presidents, party sources said. As of now, the party has not announced new dates for the gatherings in Auraiya and Hamirpur.

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Auraiya district encompasses parts of both the Etawah and Kannauj Lok Sabha constituencies, both of which are scheduled for polling in the fourth phase on May 13. Hamirpur falls within the fifth phase, with voting slated for May 20.

BSP’s Hamirpur district president Raghvendra Ahirwar claimed said that Anand’s public meeting on May 1 was called off due to the “health condition of a family member”, as “communicated by the party headquarters”. Kamal Kumar, the party’s Auraiya district president, also said that the cancellation was “in compliance with directives from the party leadership”.

Anand has not addressed any public meetings since April 28. BSP’s state president Vishwanath Pal, however, pointed out that Anand earlier addressed several public meetings across the state. He added, “Our party chief Mayawati is holding the meetings. There is no issue with Akash Anand not holding public meetings now.”

A BSP leader, who did not wish to be named, said that local party leaders have been told that Akash’s rallies were cancelled a close family member was unwell, but added that there “could be more” to it. “The way Akashji (Anand) spoke is not how Behenji likes to run the party. While criticising your opponent is one thing, being so aggressive is something that the BSP chief wouldn’t have liked,” said the leader.

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On April 28, police booked Anand for allegedly making “objectionable” comments during a rally. He was accused of using “unparliamentary language” to incite violence, police said. In a video, Akash Anand is heard calling the BJP government “gaddaro ki sarkar (a government of traitors)”. He is also heard urging people to hit representatives of other parties seeking votes with shoes, sticks, and slippers.

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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