Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati announced on Saturday that former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth has been reindicted into the party after he publicly apologised for his mistakes. Siddharth, the father-in-law of Mayawati's nephew Akash Anand, was expelled from the BSP in February this year.
In a long post on 'X' (previously Twitter), the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said Siddharth has publicly apologised for his 'mistake' and has assured the Bahunjan Samaj and the BSP leadership of his complete loyalty to the party. He has also pledged to wholeheartedly dedicate himself to advancing the movement of self-respect and dignity led by Dr BR Ambedkar, Mayawati said.
"The decision to expel him from the BSP is revoked with immediate effect, meaning he has been reinstated into the party," Mayawati said on 'X' in Hindi. "It is hoped that, like all other workers of the party, he will contribute wholeheartedly to advance the party and the movement."
Who is Ashok Siddharth and why was he expelled from BSP?
Ashok Siddharth is the father-in-law of Mayawati's nephew Akash Anand. In February this year, the BSP supremo expelled Siddharth from the party for engaging in 'anti-party activities' and promoting 'groupism'. Before sacking Siddharth, Mayawati had claimed that she had warned the former Rajya Sabha MP.
"Dr. Ashok Siddharth, who was in charge of the southern states, etc., for BSP, former MP, and Mr. Nitin Singh from Meerut district, despite warnings, have been immediately expelled from the party for engaging in factionalism and other activities against the party’s interest," she had posted on 'X' back then.
Siddharth, who was called 'doctor' within the party ranks, hails from Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad district. In the 2000s, he was appointed as BSP's district convener of the Backward and Minority Community Employees’ Federation (BAMCEF) in Farrukhabad.
In 2009, he became a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. In 2016, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha. In March 2023, his daughter Pragya got married to Akash, who was once seen as a political successor to Mayawati.
