After Mayawati's diktat, nephew Akash Anand's father-in

After Mayawati's diktat, nephew Akash Anand's father-in-law announces retirement from politics

Lucknow, Former Rajya Sabha member Ashok Siddharth on Thursday announced his retirement from politics and social life, a day after BSP chief Mayawati linked his retirement to any future reinstatement of responsibilities to her nephew and his son-in-law Akash Anand.

In an emotional post on X, Siddharth said he was retiring from political and social life "right now", adding that if he ever had to give his life for Mayawati, it would be a matter of pride for him.

"Mayawati's order is greater than anything else in the world for me," Siddharth said, adding that he had been dedicated to the BSP's mission for the past 35 years and had tried to discharge every responsibility assigned to him to the best of his ability.

Siddharth said all relationships were insignificant before Mayawati's order.

"You made a small worker like me a member of your family. This is a debt I cannot repay in this lifetime," he said.

Siddharth also swore by Gautam Buddha and his political mentor Kanshi Ram that he had never worked against the interests of the BSP.

Referring to Mayawati's allegation that he had tried to influence Anand, Siddharth said he had not even met his son-in-law for several months, let alone advised him.

He alleged that some party colleagues accused him of wanting to take control of the BSP and trying to mislead Anand because of the respect Mayawati had shown him, but asserted there was "not the slightest truth" in the allegations.

"If you feel today that my remaining in political and social life is harming the Bahujan mission created by our saints, gurus and great personalities, then I am retiring from political and social life right now," Siddharth said.

He added that he would remain indebted to Mayawati for life and said that giving his life for her would also be a matter of pride for him.

On Wednesday, Mayawati had linked the political future of her nephew to Siddharth's retirement, saying the BSP would consider restoring Anand's responsibilities only if his father-in-law quit politics.

In a post on X, Mayawati had said the party had given Siddharth several opportunities to mend his ways, but he repeatedly gave greater importance to his personal and family interests and ambitions than to the BSP's mission. She said Anand had also suffered as a result.

Mayawati had said Siddharth still had an opportunity, keeping his family and his son-in-law's future in mind, to give up his political ambitions and personal interests and retire completely from politics. Only then, she said, would the party consider sympathetically restoring Anand's responsibilities.

Her remarks came days after the BSP removed Anand as its national coordinator at a national-level meeting of party office-bearers in Lucknow on September 3.

Mayawati had then said Anand needed to gain greater "political maturity" and that she would not entrust him with major organisational responsibilities for the time being.

Siddharth, a former BSP Rajya Sabha member, was expelled from the party on August 2. He was accused of repeatedly indulging in indiscipline, adopting an anti-party stance and failing to properly discharge his responsibilities.

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