The ‘chosen one’ for a role in BSP is Ishan: Mayawati’s latest U-turn in ongoing family drama | India News

Mayawati’s chosen one is Ishan Anand.

NEW DELHI: Mayawati’s chosen one is Ishan Anand. Or is he? Well, at least for now. There’s another twist in the ongoing succession drama in the BSP chief’s family. Younger nephew Ishan, who was ruled out from getting any position in the BSP only ten days back, has ended up winning Mayawati’s “trust test” for a role in the party.“Only Shri Ishan Anand from Shri Anand Kumar’s family will now be promoted by giving him a respectable responsibility in the party,” Mayawati announced on X on Sunday.So, when the BSP holds its national-level meeting in Lucknow on September 23, Ishan is likely to get a “respectable responsibility” in the party. This will be 20 days after his elder brother Akash Anand was shown the door at a similar meeting held on September 3. Ishan, Akash and their sister Deepika are children of Mayawati’s younger brother Anand Kumar, who has been “working in Mayawati’s service for many years.”

A warning for Ishan

But Ishan’s promotion comes with a strict rider. He has to “rise above attachment to his brothers, sisters and close relatives and work with complete honesty and dedication.”There was a clear and strong warning for Ishan. “If he commits any serious act against the party, he too will be shown the door from the party. But in such a situation, no other member of Shri Anand Kumar’s family will be given any responsibility, big or small, in the party,” Mayawati announced.

Niece loses the race

In a long post on X on September 12, the BSP chief had ruled out any political role for her nephews Akash Anand and Ishan Anand, but left room for Deepika to take on responsibilities in the party if the need arises.The BSP chief had said, “Today it is my final decision and pledge that in return, none of his sons, in particular, will be allowed to engage in politics by holding any position, big or small, within the BSP. If Anand Kumar, while remaining with me, needs another member to assist him, then in the current political situation, he can seek the help of his only daughter, Kumari Deepika Anand, who is currently studying law. He can then, based on her honesty, loyalty, and efficiency, assign her his own responsibilities within the party as needed.“But that did not happen.In her post, Mayawati dwelled on the “dilemma” she faced in making the decision and also shared the yardstick she used to decide the “chosen one.”“The question of who from Shri Anand Kumar’s family I should or should not promote in the party has been a matter of considerable dilemma for me for some time. Bringing this dilemma to an end, and after giving serious thought to every aspect, I have now decided that if any member of his family is to be promoted in the party, it should be someone who does not follow Akash’s footsteps in any way.”“As for seeking help from his daughter in the future, after she gets married, if her case also turns out to be like Shri Akash Anand’s, that too would not be in the interest of the party. Keeping such a possibility in mind, it would now be appropriate in the interest of the party to completely keep Shri Akash Anand and his sister away from being given any responsibility in the party. In other words, there will be no change whatsoever in this decision,” Mayawati wrote in her post.

Doors forever closed for Akash Anand?

Akash Anand, who was groomed for years and, at least on two occasions in the past, announced as Mayawati’s “political successor,” now seems completely out of the picture. At least for now.“On special request of Shri Anand Kumar, I had to promote his elder son, Shri Akash Anand, in politics. Since his marriage, however, Shri Akash Anand’s conduct and activities at every step have been such that, a few days ago, I once again had to separate him from the party,” Mayawati said in her latest post.“In other words, he is now completely caught up in the web of his father-in-law, Shri Ashok Siddharth. Bringing him back into the party now would amount to a major betrayal of the party, and I can never commit such an act against the party,” she wrote.

Akash Anand’s on-off jouney with BSP.

Akash Anand entered politics in 2017 at the young age of 22. Anand, who did his MBA from London, made his political debut with Mayawati at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, where he shared the dais with Akhilesh Yadav and Ajit Singh.In April 2019, Akash Anand addressed his first rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra. The BSP was then part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan, an anti-Congress and anti-BJP bloc formed in the run-up to the 2019 general election under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati with Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal.Mayawati appointed him BSP’s national coordinator in June 2019. Since then, it has been a bumpy ride for him. Every promotion since then has been followed by a demotion.However, now with his younger brother taking the centre stage, it may not be easy for Akash to claw back into the power structure.

The Kanshi Ram reference

The BSP chief shared her mantra for success in politics. “I want to tell the people of the party that, keeping my own experience in mind, if they want to succeed in politics and do something for society, they must, like me, rise above their attachment to their brothers, sisters and close relatives and work with complete honesty and dedication,” Mayawati wrote in the post.She then referred to the role of BSP founder Kanshi Ram in showing her the path“The founder and architect of the BSP, respected Shri Kanshi Ram ji, after entering politics, always kept himself away from giving political benefits to his close relatives and family members. He allowed them to work in the party organisation only with a selfless spirit. Not only this, he devoted his entire life to the interests and welfare of the ‘Bahujan Samaj’, without creating a family of his own,” Maywati wrote.“Inspired by him, I too decided to follow in his footsteps and devoted my entire life to the ‘Bahujan Samaj’. However, because I am a woman, I was compelled to always keep one of my brothers or sisters with me. Under this arrangement, my younger brother, Shri Anand Kumar, has been working in my service for many years,” the BSP chief said.

The Ambedkar example

Justifying her move, Mayawati wrote, “I have taken this decision in the interest of the party and the movement, inspired by respected Shri Kanshi Ram ji and influenced by a letter written by the revered Baba Saheb Dr BR Ambedkar.”The BSP chief stated that Baba Saheb Dr BR Ambedkar had written a letter on February 23, 1956, warning his son Yashwant B Ambedkar over his alleged attempts to try and take control of the Buddhist Bhushan Printing Press.To convey her message to Ishan and others, Mayawati cited the strong stand taken by Ambedkar against his son, “I have to inform you that I have received several communications from Shri Upsham saying that you are not allowing him to perform his duties as the accountant and cashier of the Buddhist Bhushan Printing Press. You seem to think that by doing this you will take control of the press. I am warning you that the press is public property; it belongs neither to you nor to me, and it is not possible to permit any kind of irregularity in a public account.