Last week, a case was filed against Akash Anand for Model Code violation after he used words like “terrorist government” to target the BJP.
Mayawati, the chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party, has declared that her nephew, Akash Anand, will no longer serve as her political heir or hold the position of the party’s National Coordinator. This decision came after he faced legal action for making a derogatory remark against the BJP. Mayawati clarified that this move is aimed at allowing him time to reach full maturity, and he will be relieved of his responsibilities for the time being.
In a post in Hindi on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, Mayawati said, “BSP is also a movement for self-respect and self-esteem of Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and social change for which Shri Kanshi Ram ji and I have dedicated our entire lives and a new generation is also being prepared to give it momentum.”
“In the same sequence, along with promoting other people in the party, I declared Shri Akash Anand as the National Coordinator and successor, but in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being separated from both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity,” read her second post. His father, Anand Kumar, will continue to fulfil his responsibilities in the party, she added in a third post.
Last week, a case was filed against Anand for Model Code violation after he used words like “terrorist government” to target the BJP.
“This government is a bulldozer government and a government of traitors,” he had said. “The party that leaves its youth hungry and enslaves its elderly is a terrorist government,” the BSP leader had added, citing Taliban.
Following the speech, the district administration filed a case against Anand and four others for violating the Model Code of Conduct on Sunday. Among them were three party candidates, and the fourth was a rally organiser where Anand delivered the speech. All rallies involving Akash Anand have been suspended.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP secured 10 of the 80 seats in the state. However, four of its MPs defected to the BJP in recent weeks. The party has opted not to align with the INDIA bloc of opposition parties.
Anand, the son of Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar, was introduced to senior party members in 2017. He holds an MBA from a London university and has been involved in party affairs since his induction.
He was elevated to the position of national coordinator in 2019 amid organizational restructuring following the dissolution of BSP’s alliance with the Samajwadi Party. He managed the campaign strategy for the BSP chief in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and handled the party’s social media presence during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election.
In 2022, he was the star campaigner for the Himachal Pradesh assembly election.