In a second setback to BSP in as many weeks, party supremo Mayawati’s once trusted lieutenant and former minister RK Chaudhary has quit the party on Thursday, accusing Mayawati of “auctioning” tickets for Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
An unfazed BSP, however, downplayed 57-year-old Chaudhary’s resignation, and said that it will have no impact on the party in the run up to the 2017 polls.
At a press conference to announce his decision, RK Chaudhary said that since the death of party founder Kanshi Ram, there has been a marked change in the working style of Mayawati and that veteran leaders, who functioned with missionary zeal, were not respected.
Chaudhary added that Kanshi Ram had united different castes under one banner and evolved them into a group which could not be “sold.” According to him, Kanshi’s concerted efforts ensured that a vote bank was created in all Assembly constituencies in UP.
After Kanshi Ram, Mayawati started eyeing this non-saleable votebank and began selling tickets and BSP became a ‘mandi’ (wholesale market) for ticket selling...Under such circumstances, the party is no longer the mission of social change
Earlier, senior BSP leader, Swami Prasad Maurya had quit the BSP on 22 June, claiming he felt “suffocated”. He also accused the party chief of “auctioning” tickets for the polls.
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