Ashok Siddharth pledges loyalty to Mayawati, quits politics

Ashok Siddharth with BSP national president Mayawati Lucknow: A day after BSP national president Mayawati called for his retirement from politics to ensure progress of his son-in-law Akash Anand, expelled BSP functionary, Ashok Siddharth, on Thursday, said that he is taking ‘sanyas’ from politics.Mayawati had said on Wednesday that if Ashok Siddharth retires from politics completely, it would be good for Akash Anand’s political career, and that he would be able to work freely in the party.In a lost post on X, addressed to Mayawati, Ashok Siddharth, said, “For me, your command is supreme. My relationships, family, everything is utterly insignificant in front of it. Under your guidance, for the past thirty-five years, I have been devoted to the BSP and its mission.”He clarified that he never worked against the interests of the party, or Mayawati. On him having an influence over Akash Anand, he added, “Let alone advising Akash Ji, I haven’t even met him in the past several months except on a couple of occasions when his programmes were scheduled in those states for which you had assigned me the responsibility.”He pointed out that there were people within the party who were accusing him of trying to seize control of the party, of attempting to mislead Akash Anand, out of envy.“This is a conspiracy by my political opponents, who are themselves engaged in anti-party activities, and the truth of which will surely come before you,” he said.Siddharth also urged Mayawati to not link his ‘sanyas’ with Akash’s return or his growth in the party.“He is your nephew before being my son-in-law. He has your blood in his veins; he has spent two decades of his life under your shelter, how could an ordinary worker like me mislead him? You understand his good and bad better than anyone else; whether to give him responsibility again or not is your decision,” he said.In her post on Wednesday, Mayawati had blamed Ashok Siddharth for Akash Anand’s fall in the party. However, after Ashok Siddharth’s announcement on his retirement from politics, Mayawati said that she has relieved Akash from the party.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in LucknowStay updated with the latest Lucknow news. Download the TOI App.