Confusion reigns

BSP's support on the ground remains intact, but it does not translate to votes because of the uncertainty in the party

- PUJA AWASTHI

A centrifuge of uncertainty seems to be in motion in the Bahujan Samaj Party, with Mayawati's own family at its centre. Once anointed successor, Akash Anand, elder son of Mayawati's brother, has been stripped of his post and from the party. Party chatter is that he was paying too much heed to the directions of his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, also an expelled BSP man, despite Mayawati's explicit instructions to the contrary.

But Anand is not new to being stripped of posts. He was removed as party's national coordinator in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections, ostensibly because of his 'lack of political maturity.' Some months later, he had gained that maturity and the post, only to be now booted out of the party.

To those who have followed the politics of Mayawati closely, this is nothing new. She is just being faithful to her nature. At the slightest hint of anyone trying to gain prominence in the party, she pronounces banishment.

Remember Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who among many other roles was also custodian of the party's coffers? He was shown the door for "anti-party activities"—the same charge that was levelled against Siddharth. It is as broad a charge as can be. And no one dare question Mayawati on its specifics.

To the casual observer, Mayawati, and thus by extension her party, might seem to be a mess, but she holds a unique place in dalit politics. And as of now, there is no one even close to the orbit she inhabits.