Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati sacked the party vice president and national coordinator Jai Prakash Singh from the two posts for his comments on Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
At a party function in Lucknow on Monday, Singh had commented that “Rahul
cannot become the prime minister as his mother (Sonia Gandhi ) is a foreigner”. Taking a stern view of Singh’s “unrestrained and personal” remarks
against the leadership of other parties, Mayawati on Tuesday said the “baseless” (“anargal”) talks made by him was against the BSP’s culture.
She said Jai Prakash Singh’s comments flouted the BSP’s “humanitarian approach and policies”. The BSP president dubbed the remarks (against the Congress president) as the “outcome” of (Singh’s) personal opinion and which had nothing to do with the BSP.
Mayawati said she had taken a strong view of the comments, which were against the BSP’s philosophy and policies. Stating that Jai Prakash Singh has been removed from the post of national vice president and national coordinator with “immediate effect”, the BSP chief said the action has been taken in the “interest of the party and the (BSP) movement.”
The BSP president simultaneously warned her party’s cadres that they should refrain from using undesirable language against the eminent persons belonging to other communities and parties. Mayawati said in the party meetings the leaders and cadres should only talk about the BSP’s ideology, policies and movement.
More importantly, on the issue of BSP’s poll alliance with other parties in Uttar Pradesh and in other states, Mayawati sent out a clear warning to her party’s cadres and leaders. “Till the (BSP’s) poll alliance with any party in Uttar Pradesh, or in any other state, is announced they should refrain from speaking anything about the alliance”, she said. “It should be left to the party high command”, Mayawati added.
The sacked BSP vice president’s comments on Rahul Gandhi’s ancestry wherein Singh reportedly also compared the Congress president’s credibility to become the prime minister with that of his father Rajiv Gandhi caused huge embarrassment to the BSP leadership.
It was only in May this year that Jai Prakash Singh was made the BSP’s national vice president and also given the charge of national coordinator. His comments came at a time when the BSP was reportedly in talks with the Congress for a poll alliance in Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan.
Assembly elections in these states are due later this year. Monday’s meeting of BSP workers, which was presided over Jai Prakash Singh and the other party coordinator, Vir Singh, was basically aimed at projecting Mayawati as the next prime minister.
The speakers at the meeting were equivocal that only the BSP president was best suited to become the prime minister.