Lucknow:

Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawle has offered the estranged nephew of BSP Supremo Mayawati, Akash Anand, a place in his party after he was expelled from the BSP by his aunt.

“If he (Akash Anand) wants to take forward the mission of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, he should join the Republican Party of India…If he (Akash Anand) joins the party, the Republican Party of India will get more strength in UP,” he said.

On Monday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati expelled her nephew Akash Anand, saying that the response given by him after he was relieved of his duties was “selfish and arrogant”.

“In the interest of the self-respect and self-esteem movement of the most revered Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and following the tradition of discipline of the venerable Kanshiram, Akash Anand, like his father-in-law, is expelled from the party in the interest of the party and the movement,” Mayawati posted on X.

Mayawati, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, stated that the remarks made by Anand after his removal from the posts were “not a sign of political maturity”. She accused him of being under the influence of his father-in-law, Ashok Siddharth.

The lengthy response given by Akash is not a sign of remorse and political maturity but is mostly selfish and arrogant…under the influence of his father-in-law, which I have been advising people in the party to avoid,” the BSP supremo added.

Mayawati said that it was expected of Akash Anand to accept the decision of his removal from key positions in the BSP “maturely”.

“In the All-India meeting of BSP yesterday, Akash Anand was relieved from all responsibilities, including the post of National Coordinator, due to him being under the continued influence of his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, who was also expelled from the party. For this, he should have repented and shown maturity,” she added.

A day after being removed from all key positions, Anand said on Monday that he remained undeterred, drawing strength from the Bahujan Movement’s ideals. He added that this struggle is not a career but a fight for the self-respect and self-esteem of marginalized communities.

He said that he would continue to devote himself fully to the party and fight for society’s rights as a true worker of the Bahujan movement. He also termed the decision as an emotional one and said the “test is difficult”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)