For Nephew Akash Anand's Return To Party, Mayawati Sets "Sanyas" Condition For His Father-In-Law

For Nephew Akash Anand's Return To Party, Mayawati Sets 'Sanyas' Condition For His Father-In-Law Mayawati is ready to take her nephew Akash Anand back into the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in a third U-turn on his political fate, and it's again tied to his father-in-law. But this time her condition is extreme: the father-in-law, Ashok Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha MP of the party, has to take 'sanyas' from politics. That would mean renouncing it altogether, not just retiring. She has told Akash Anand in the past not to be influenced by his father-in-law, whom she had expelled from the BSP in August. In a post on X on Wednesday, she said Akash Anand will be able to 'work freely in the party' once Siddharth fulfils this condition, and then she would also consider restoring the responsibilities taken away from him. Akash Anand was the BSP's chief national coordinator until Mayawati announced last week that she was withdrawing leadership responsibility from him as 'he still needs to be more mature'. Ashok Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha MP of the party, was expelled by Mayawati on August 2 for alleged anti-party activities. Photo: RSTV Mayawati said Siddharth had placed 'personal and familial interests and ambitions' above the party's mission, and that Akash Anand had to bear the consequences of this along with him. Akash Anand, Mayawati's brother Anand Kumar's son and once named her political successor, has been elevated and removed from party responsibilities several times since 2024, with his father-in-law facing a similar fate. Siddharth was expelled altogether from the BSP in 2025 and later returned; as did Ashok Siddharth. Recently, Mayawati said Akash Anand could continue only as a party worker and not as a leader. In a post on X, Mayawati stated, 'In such a situation, keeping in mind the interests of the party and movement, as well as his own family and the future of his son-in-law Akash Anand, Ashok Siddharth still has the opportunity to renounce his political ambitions, rise above personal interests, and completely retire from politics.' She added, 'Only then will Akash Anand be able to work freely in the party, and only then will the party sympathetically consider restoring his responsibilities so that he can play an active role in the party. This is the consensus in the party.' The former UP chief minister pointedly referred to the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. She described these states as 'not only extremely important but also very special' for the BSP and the Dalit-Bahujan Movement started by Kanshi Ram. Mayawati said the Bahujan Movement is currently facing 'tough challenges, especially regarding reservations and the like'. She said people from the Dalit community should not act out of personal or familial interest in a way that creates obstacles 'for which history may not forgive them'.