Mayawati names nephew Ishan Anand as BSP national convener
BSP chief Mayawati appointed her younger nephew Ishan Anand as national convener at a Lucknow meeting of the party's national executive.
Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Wednesday appointed her younger nephew, Ishan Anand, as the party's national convener, days after his elder brother Akash Anand was relieved of all party responsibilities.
The announcement was made at a meeting of the BSP's national executive at the party headquarters in Lucknow, which was chaired by Mayawati, a four-time former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Ishan Anand, who holds a Master of Laws degree, attended the meeting along with his father and BSP national vice-president Anand Kumar. In his address, he thanked the party chief for the responsibility and said he would carry it out with honesty and dedication.
In his remarks, he greeted party colleagues with "Jai Bhim" and paid tribute to Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram, crediting Mayawati with carrying forward their work. He said he would follow the path shown by the party's leaders.
The meeting also reviewed preparations for the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab and discussed ways to strengthen the party organisation. Mayawati urged party leaders to inform ground-level workers and supporters about the development work undertaken during the party's time in government.
The BSP chief has been carrying out a series of changes in the party's organisational structure in recent weeks.
Addressing the meeting, Mayawati alleged that casteism has peaked under the Bharatiya Janata Party government, citing the suicide of a Dalit student at IIT Mumbai. She said the incident showed that the government, administration and university system were unwilling to bring about improvement.
She also criticised the central government over inflation, saying sustained rises in the prices of essential commodities would hurt poor and middle-class families, farmers and workers.