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A new role for Akhilesh Das

LUCKNOW: Former Union Minister and Congress MP Akhilesh Das joined the Bahujan Samaj Party here on Saturday with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and party president Mayawati rewarding him with the key post of the BSP national general secretary.

For a newcomer to the party, Mr. Das appeared to have struck a hard bargain. Not only did the Chief Minister finalise his ticket as the party candidate for Parliament from Lucknow in the next Lok Sabha elections, she further vested him with the responsibility of coalescing “Vaishya samaj” (the Baniya community) with the BSP in the country after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha polls.

In addition, Mr. Das was made the BSP in-charge of the Lucknow parliamentary seat. Ms. Mayawati announced that he would start campaigning from today itself.

After resigning from the primary membership of the Congress and the Rajya Sabha this past week, Mr. Das’ entry into the BSP was widely anticipated. Saturday’s function at Hotel Taj Residency here was a high-profile affair.

Present along with the Chief Minister was the entire top brass of the BSP, including the Chairman of the UP Advisory Council, Satish Chandra Mishra, State BSP president Swamy Prasad Maurya, PWD and Irrigation Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Social Welfare Minister Indrajit Saroj and Panchayati Raj Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha.

Mr. Das’ supporters, including former UP Congress vice-president Siraj Mehndi and former general secretary Hanuman Tripathi, who had resigned from the party on Friday, were also present. The Darbar Hall of the five-star hotel resembled a public platform.

Announcing Mr. Das’ entry into the BSP, Ms. Mayawati said he had resigned from the Congress because he was unhappy with its policies. Mr. Das, she added, had reposed faith in the BSP ideology and its policies and programmes.

The former Union Minister accused the UPA Government of ignoring Uttar Pradesh, especially Bundelkhand and Purvanchal. Describing Ms. Mayawati as “the rightful claimant for becoming the next Prime Minister”, he said the honour and trust reposed in him by her was missing in the Congress. Even the Vaishya community supported Ms. Mayawati’s policy of “sarv samaj”, he added.

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