Mayawati keeps nephew Akash Anand out of key BSP roles, cites need for political maturity
Mayawati says nephew Akash Anand needs more political maturity, so no major party role for now. BSP will contest all elections alone.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday said her nephew and party national coordinator Akash Anand will not be handed any major organisational responsibility for now, asserting that he needs to develop greater political maturity.
Speaking at a national-level meeting of party office-bearers in Lucknow, Mayawati acknowledged that Akash Anand has been permitted to work in the party, but added that entrusting him with a significant role at this stage would not be appropriate.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also used the platform to announce that the BSP would contest every election in the country — irrespective of scale — independently, without alliances.
Mayawati launched a sharp attack on the Congress, describing it as "strongly anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar." She alleged that opposition parties were trying to mislead Dalits and other sections of the Bahujan society by favouring select Dalit groups and spreading false propaganda.
She dismissed protests and road blockades as mere political and electoral gimmicks, asserting that the BSP remains the only Ambedkarite party free of such tactics. Mayawati pointed to the party's four terms in power in Uttar Pradesh as evidence of its commitment to the welfare of the poor, labourers, and the oppressed.