Mayawati, the chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has unexpectedly stated that her nephew Akash Anand has been removed from his position as national coordinator and her “political successor.”
This decision, which was made public on Tuesday, comes just five months after Mayawati publicly acknowledged him as her presumed heir in December 2023 at a significant gathering of party officials in Lucknow.
This declaration was made in 2024, right before the third round of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Here’s what has happened so far.
‘Sacks’ nephew Akash Anand as heir by Mayawati
On X, which used to be Twitter, Mayawati stated “It is known that the BSP, apart from being a party, is also a movement for self-respect and self-esteem of Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and social change for which Honourable Shri Kanshi Ram Ji and I have dedicated our entire lives and a new generation is also being prepared to give it momentum.”
“In this direction, along with promoting other people in the party, I had declared Shri Akash Anand as the national coordinator and my successor, but in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being divested of both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity,” she stated.
Mayawati further declared that Anand Kumar, the father of Akash Anand, will carry out his duties within the party and movement in the same manner.
She continued, “The BSP leadership is not going to shy away from making every sacrifice in the interest of the party and the movement and in taking forward the caravan of Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar.”
Why did Akash Anand get fired by Mayawati?
Mayawati’s move, the specifics of which are still unknown, coincides with the arrest of 29-year-old Akash Anand and other party members by the Sitapur police in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly breaking the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
This accusation originated from a passionate speech he gave at an electoral rally, when NDTV said he made controversial comments regarding the administration.
Anand was heard stating, “This government is a bulldozer government and a government of traitors,” in a video recorded speech at an electoral rally. A terrorist government is one that enslaves its old and feeds its kids with hunger. In Afghanistan, the Taliban control such a government.”
The Hindustan Times further reported that Anand accused the government of failing to safeguard the safety of women and children, citing a report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCB) detailing 16,000 kidnapping instances in the state.
He proceeded to accuse the central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being a ‘party of thieves’ that siphoned out Rs 16,000 crores using electoral bonds.
After hearing the speech, the district administration scheduled a case for April 28 against Anand and four other people. Anand returned to Delhi after the case was filed, and all of his planned rallies in other constituencies were later canceled, according to The Indian Express.