New Delhi: The family of late Kanshi Ram, the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has stated that they will assist anyone who can beat Mayawati in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Mayawati has been accused by Kanshi Ram's younger sister and nephew of usurping the party for her family members.
The two are in Lucknow for a function hosted by former MLA Savitribai Phule on the occasion of Constitution Day on Friday.
"Mayawati is anti-Constitution and has finished the party which Kanshi Ram had set up. She has turned the party into a family enterprise and can do nothing for the poor," Kanshi Ram’s sister Swarn Kaur was quoted by IANS in its report.
The Kanshi Ram Foundation's executive director, Swarn Kaur, stated that the family is not affiliated with any political party.
Lakhbir Singh, Mayawati's nephew, said they went to the Kanshi Ram Memorial in Lucknow on Thursday and were disappointed to find Mayawati's monument beside the BSP founder's.
"She has hijacked the party and made it a private limited firm. In UP elections, we will support anyone who can defeat BSP. We will also campaign against BSP in Punjab, where it is contesting elections in alliance with Akali Dal," Singh said.
UP Assembly Elections 2022:
The political temperature in Uttar Pradesh is rising as the country's largest state prepares for a high-octane campaign in the 403-member Assembly elections in 2022.
While the Samajwadi Party (SP) is optimistic about a return, the battleground is wide open, with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) eyeing a tilt at the prized throne of Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The 'grand old' Congress party is left as the fourth violin in the game after a triangular struggle between two former chief ministers, Akhilesh Yadav of the SP and Mayawati of the BSP.
(With inputs from IANS)