‘People are free to marry anyone’: How BSP chief Mayawati responded to expulsion reports

Mayawati said BSP members were barred from attending former MP Munqad Ali's son's wedding due to his daughter's candidacy in a by-election on an SP ticket.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati denied reports that a leader was expelled from the party for his son’s marriage to the daughter of an Samajwadi Party legislator, saying that her party members are free to marry people from any party and personal decisions should not be influenced by party affiliations.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati addresses a press conference at her residence in Lucknow on Saturday. (PTI)(PTI)

Surendra Sagar, BSP's Rampur district president recently had his son marry the daughter of Tribhuvan Dutt, a Samajwadi Party MLA from Alapur in Ambedkar Nagar. Dutt, who was once with the BSP, joined the SP ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

In response to the reports, BSP supremo Mayawati addressed the issue in a series of posts on X in Hindi on Friday night, saying that Sagar and the current district president of BSP in Rampur, Pramod Kumar were expelled from the party due to a simmering dispute between them and had nothing to do with the marriage.

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“The quarrel between former party president of Rampur district Surendra Sagar and current party president Pramod Kumar was at its peak due to which the party's work was suffering. Both of them were expelled and it has got nothing to do with the marriage,” Mayawati clarfified.

“The party (BSP) is not concerned with the personal relationships of its cadre. People are free to marry anyone they want. It all depends on their thinking. But be cautious of those who spread false propaganda about this,” she said.

In another tweet, Mayawati said party members were barred from attending the wedding of former BSP MP Munqad Ali's son because his daughter contested the state assembly by-election from Meerapur on an SP ticket.

SP candidate from Meerapur Assembly constituency Sumbul Rana is married to former MP Qadir Rana's son Shah Mohammad.

“The BSP also contested the seat. In such a situation, there was a general discussion about possible clashes between the people of both parties at the wedding. To avoid this, the party was forced to take this step. But the way it is being publicised is not right,” Mayawati said.