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properties, spread wrong information that the party was asking for a big sum of money from him,” he said.

Misra said Mayawati had asked Siddiqui to work as party coordinator in the areas of Madhya Pradesh adjoining Uttar Pradesh, but he did not go there. “Instead, he stayed in Lucknow, Noida and Delhi and indulged in anti-party activities,” he said.

In a statement, Siddiqui hit back, saying the allegations levelled against him were “false and baseless” and he would prove “with evidence” that these charges were true of Mayawati and Misra. He said his expulsion was “the reward for the sacrifices” made by him, his family and his associates “in 30-35 years in BSP”.

Siddiquiclaimedmayawatilevelled“false allegations” against Muslims and made objectionablecommentswhensuccesseluded the party in the Lok Sabha elections of 2009, 2014 and the assembly elections of 2012, 2017 because of her “wrong policies”.

He claimed Mayawati called a meeting after the party’s defeat and said “bad things about upper castes and backwards” and “uttered derogatory words for Muslims”.

“Also, Mayawati, Anand Kumar (her brother) and Satish Chandra Misra, illegally, unethically and in manners beyond humanity, put demands before me. That was not in my capacity to fulfil them. I was unnecessarilyputunderpressuretofulfilthose demands. I was harassed mentally several times and I was tortured. I have concrete evidence of this. As I am not in Lucknow today, I am sending this brief press note. I will reply to the accusation of Mayawatiji and Company tomorrow through a press conference,” Siddiqui said in the statement.

The BSP also announced the expulsion of two of Siddiqui’s close associates, former MLA O P Singh and former MLC Pradeep Singh.

Siddiqui has been a prominent face in the party organisation for over a decade. As a member of Mayawati’s cabinet between 2007 and 2012, he headed about a dozen departments. His wife Husna became a party MLC in 2010.

After the 2012 defeat, he became Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council. In the party, he was in-charge of most areas in central UP and Bundelkhand before 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Son Afzal contested the Fatehpur Lok Sabha seat but was defeated.

After the party’s rout in 2014, Mayawati changed the responsibilities of coordinators and Siddiqui was made in-charge of west UP, a region crucial for BSP. Afzal was made in-charge of BSP’S Muslim outreach campaign in west UP. Other than Mayawati, Siddiqui was the star BSP campaigner in the 2017 assembly polls.