Number two position in BSP jinxed?

THE ASIAN AGE. | AMITA VERMA

Published : May 14, 2017, 5:24 am IST

Updated : May 14, 2017, 5:24 am IST

The first axe on the senior most BSP leader fell in 1995 when the party’s first state chief Raj Bahadur was humiliated by Mayawati and forced to exit.

Lucknow: The number two position in the Bahujan Samaj Party is ominous and jinxed. All leaders who have risen to this position have been made to exit unceremoniously and the expulsion of Naseemuddin Siddiqui only carries forward the tradition.

Mr Siddiqui was probably aware of his fate and that explains why he had prepared a backup plan by making recordings of his conversations with BSP president Mayawati.

The first axe on the senior most BSP leader fell in 1995 when the party’s first state chief Raj Bahadur was humiliated by Ms Mayawati and forced to exit. Mr Bahadur is now in the Congress.

Dr Sonelal Patel was the BSP’s OBC face and a close associate of late Kanshi Ram. His growing popularity made Ms Mayawati nervous and he was shown the door. Dr Patel later formed his own Apna Dal and his daughter Anupriya Patel is now a Union minister.

Senior BSP leaders Jung Bahadur Patel , Ram Lakhan Varma, Barkhu Ram Varma, R.K. Chaudhary, Sikander Rizvi, R.K. Vidyarthi and Daddu Prasad were among those expelled from the party in an unceremonious manner.

Barkhu Ram and Mr Chaudhary came to know of their expulsion when they were stopped from entering Ms Mayawati’s residence in the presence of the media.

Babu Singh Kushwaha, one of Mayawati’s closest aide, was not only made to bear the cross of the NRHM scam but also expelled from the party.

Aware of the “tradition” some BSP leaders have been smart enough to exit before they could be expelled and former Leader of the Opposition Swami Parasad Maurya is a recent example. His exit caught Ms Mayawati unawares and others to follow Mr Maurya in a similar manner were Brijesh Pathak and Dara Singh Chauhan. All of them are ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government. Brijlal Khabri joined the Congress.

Talking to this correspondent, one of the expelled leaders explained the phenomenon and said, “The problem with Mayawati is her insecurity. As soon as one gains stature in the party, other leaders start carrying tales to her and she readily believes them. She is told that the number two leader is trying to gain importance among party cadres and is calling the shots. She never bothers to verify and takes action. Today, the party is completely bereft of leaders who enjoy the confidence of party workers”.

Another former BSP leader said that Mayawati’s insecurities were leading to decimation of the party. “If all former BSP leaders join hands, they will make a better and a more formidable party,” he added.

He added that while late Kanshi Ram believed in bringing more and more leaders into his fold, Mayawati was ready to throw out leaders even at the cost of finishing her party.

Curious case of Number 2

All BSP leaders who have risen to the number two position have been made to
exit unceremoniously.

Naseemuddin Siddiqui, BSP’s Muslim face, expelled by Mayawati from the party for carrying out “anti-party” activities
First axe on the senior-most BSP leader fell in 1995 when the party’s first state chief Raj Bahadur was shown door by Ms Mayawati.

Others