Day after sacking nephew Akash Anand, Mayawati expels him from BSP

“On the contrary, the lengthy response given by Akash is not of his remorse and political maturity, but is largely selfish, arrogant… under the influence of his father-in-law … I have been advising people in the party to avoid such acts and have also been punishing them,” Mayawati wrote.

She added, “Therefore, in the interest of the self-respect and self-esteem movement of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and following the tradition of discipline of the venerable Shri Kanshi Ram ji, Akash Anand, like his father-in-law, is being expelled from the party.”

Mayawati’s announcement followed hours after Akash took to X to respond to his removal as the BSP’s national coordinator, swearing unfailing loyalty to her.

“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 wrote in Hindi. “The decision of Behen Kumari Mayawati ji to remove me from all party posts is personally emotional for me, but also it is a big challenge now, the test is difficult and there’s a long battle ahead.”

He added that every decision of “Behen ji (Mayawati)” was like a “patthar ki lakeer (carved in stone for him)”, and he respected and stood by them.

Calling himself a true worker of the “Bahujan Mission” and the Movement, Akash said patience and determination were the true companions of an individual in such difficult times. He emphasised he would continue to work for the party and mission with full devotion and fight for the rights of Dalits “till his last breath”.

Akash also hit out at political rivals, saying, “Some people from the rival party are thinking that my political career is over… They should understand that the Bahujan Movement is not a career, but a fight for self-respect and self-esteem of crores of Dalits, oppressed, deprived and poor people… Lakhs of Akash Anands are always ready to keep this torch burning and sacrifice everything for it.”

On Sunday, when Mayawati announced Akash’s removal as BSP national coordinator, it was the second time in 10 months that she had taken such a decision, after having once labelled him as her political heir.

Akash, the son of Mayawati’s brother, was first removed from his post on May 7 last year, in the middle of the Lok Sabha polls. Soon after the then BSP national coordinator was booked for “promoting enmity”, following a series of aggressive speeches mostly targeting the BJP, he was sacked by Mayawati.

The following month, the elections over, he was reinstated, and subsequently announced by Mayawati as her political heir.

In the recent Assembly polls, Mayawati made Akash in-charge of Delhi and Haryana, but in both the states, the party – that has been on a steady decline – failed to make any impact.

Announcing Akash’s expulsion, Mayawati said Monday: “Now, I have decided that there will be no successor for me in the party till my last breath.”