Dynastic politics? Mayawati introduces brother, nephew at first public rally after elections

Days after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi came under fresh controversies with his remarks on dynastic politics, BSP supremo Mayawati’s Meerut rally on Monday marked the launch of yet another political dynasty. In her first public meeting after the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Mayawati introduced brother Anand Kumar and his son Akash.

The Meerut rally also marked as the first public appearance of the former UP Chief Minister’s brother and nephew. According to sources close to the party, Anand and Akash had been attending almost all meetings held by Mayawati in the recent times.

Earlier, the Bahujan Samaj Party chief declared the appointment of her brother as the party’s national vice-president on April 14. However, Mayawati clearly stated that Anand would only help in party activities and won’t be contesting any election. In another meeting on April 25, Mayawati introduced her nephew Akash to the party leaders.

Ahead of the 2019 elections, Mayawati launched her election campaign on Monday at a rally in Meerut. Considered as a strong hold of BSP, Meerut was chosen for Mayawati’s first rally after the UP elections, with the four-time CM eying to mobilize the Dalits and the Muslims in the area.

At the rally, Mayawati took fresh dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the Modi led central government has led the country into an era “worse than the Emergency”. And in an attempt to revive the spirit of her party workers, Mayawati said, “The situation in the country is worse than during the Emergency. In order to intimidate leaders of the Opposition and muzzle their voice, all the arms and agencies of the central government like Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Income Tax (IT) have been let loose on them.”

And with around one lakh people attending the BSP rally in Meerut, Dalit intellectual Dr Satish Prakash said, “But the real question is not attracting crowds at rallies but winning elections. And to win elections with an aggressive BJP and Modi at the helm, the BSP supremo needs to do a complete makeover in how she connects with her cadres and the language of her politics. She needs to go back to the way BSP started. She needs to hit the ground.”