Mayawati expels Danish Ali from BSP anti-party activities

Lucknow: Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali, who was recently the target of an unsavoury exchange on the floor of the house, has been suspended from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for alleged “anti-party activities.”

“You were warned many times against statements or actions against the policies, ideology and discipline of the party. But, despite that you have continuously been acting against the party,” the BSP said in a statement. A suspended MP is bound by the party whip.

The MP from Amroha has denied his party’s charge and said he has “never done any kind of anti-party work”.

“I have diligently tried to strengthen the BSP and has never done any kind of anti-party work. The people of my Amroha area are witness to this. I have definitely opposed the anti-people policies of the BJP government and will continue to do so. If doing this is a crime, then I have committed a crime and I am ready to face any punishment for it,” he told reporters.

Ali also thanked Mayawati for giving him a Lok Sabha ticket while stressing that the party’s decision against him was “unfortunate”.

Ali had met several opposition leaders after BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri used communal slurs against him in Parliament. He even held a one-man protest outside Parliament on Friday to demand justice for Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, who has been expelled from Lok Sabha.

The MP was seen with a placard hung around his neck which said “don’t turn (the) victim into (the) culprit”.

A massive political row erupted over Bidhuri’s remarks during a discussion on the Chandrayaan-3 mission in September this year. The objectionable comments to target Kunwar Danish Ali, who was accused by several BJP leaders of using derogatory words for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provoke the South Delhi MP, led to a show-cause notice to Bidhuri, known for his several controversial remarks.

The BJP MP, on Thursday, expressed regret for his objectionable remarks against Ali in a meeting of the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee, which heard both leaders separately.

The BSP, which avoided to comment on the issue, today accused Ali, a former JD(S) leader, of going against the party line.

“You were given the ticket on Deve Gowda’s insistence who had assured that you will always follow the party line. Only after this assurance, you were given the BSP membership. But you forgot the assurances given by you and indulged in anti-party activities,” the BSP said.

Danish Ali, who started his political journey with Janata Dal (Secular), joined the BSP in 2019 with the consent of JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

Later, his name was announced from Amroha constituency for 2019 general elections. He won the seat by defeating Kanwar Singh Tanwar of the BJP by a margin of nearly 63,000 votes. – IANS