Maya strips another party leader of post

LUCKNOW Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati effected an organisational rejig, stripping the party’s national coordinator and general secretary Vir Singh of his position while appointing a Dalit leader to replace another ousted national coordinator and vice-president Jai Prakash Singh.

Ramji Lal Gautam, who has been appointed the new party vice-president in place of Jai Prakash Singh, was so far looking after the party work in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Jai Prakash and Vir Singh were among the two leaders who were elevated by Mayawati recently. Both reportedly lost favour with the BSP leadership after the July 16 function in Lucknow where Jai Prakash Singh made personal attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Mayawati was also upset with Jai Prakash for having commented on the likely alliance against the BJP and the BSP’s role in it. Soon afterwards, Maya warned the party leaders to not make any comments on the likely alliance and said leaders

RAMJI LAL GAUTAM, WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED THE NEW PARTY VICEPRESIDENT IN PLACE OF JAI PRAKASH SINGH, WAS SO FAR LOOKING AFTER THE PARTY WORK IN ANDHRA PRADESH AND TELANGANA.

ignoring the warning would face action.

Vir Singh hadn’t made the remarks but he was present at the function in which Jai Prakash had made the comments which Mayawati had said weren’t in consonance with the party line. Jai Prakash was stripped of his post soon after the Lucknow function but action against Vir was known only on Sunday.

Ahead of assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, where the BSP is hoping to increase its political reach, the party has appointed Ashok Siddharth as its coordinator for Madhya Pradesh to work with Ram Achal Rajbhar, a trusted Maya aide who is already working in MP.

Apart from MP, Ashok, who was so far looking after the party work in south, has also been given additional responsibility of Chhatisgarh.

Former UP minister Ambika Chaudhary too has been entrusted with the responsibility of Chattisgarh.

The BSP has appointed Attar Singh as the in-charge of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh while former Rajya Sabha MP Munqad Ali has been made in-charge of Rajasthan where the party work was so far handled by Dharamvir Ashok.

Ali has also been appointed coordinator of Aligarh and Agra division.