'Larger Interest Of Party': BSP Chief Mayawati Removes Nephew Akash Anand As Political Heir, National Coordinator

In a significant development within the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Akash Anand, the nephew of BSP chief Mayawati, has been removed from his roles as the party's National Coordinator and declared political heir.

This decision was announced by Mayawati in a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday (7 May).

The move to distance Akash Anand from key responsibilities comes days after a police case was filed against him due to a derogatory remark made against the BJP.

During a rally, Anand had attacked the BJP government, saying, "This government is a bulldozer government and a government of traitors".

"The party that leaves its youth hungry and enslaves its elderly is a terrorist government," the BSP leader had added, citing Taliban.

Taking note of the speech, the district administration had filed a case of Model Code of Conduct violation against Anand and four others on Sunday.

Shortly after that, all rallies of Akash Anand were reportedly put on hold.

Mayawati stated that the decision was taken "in the larger interest of the party and the movement" she has dedicated her life to, along with the legacies of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram.

She emphasised the need for her nephew to achieve "full maturity" before taking on such significant roles within the party again.

"It is known that BSP, besides being a party, is also a movement for self-respect and self-esteem of Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and social change, for which Shri Kanshi Ram ji and I have dedicated our entire lives and a new generation is also being prepared to give it momentum," Mayawati said in a post in Hindi on X.

"In the same sequence, along with promoting other people in the party, I declared Shri Akash Anand as the National Coordinator and successor, but in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being separated from both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity," read her second post. 

His father, Anand Kumar, will continue to fulfil his responsibilities in the party, she added in a third post.

Mayawati had named her nephew as her political heir in December last year.

Akash Anand had officially entered politics in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

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