LUCKNOW: In a veiled reaction to the abusive words used for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother at an opposition rally in Bihar, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former CM of UP Mayawati, on Friday, deprecated the tone and tenor of the present-day political discourse expressing concerns over the "decline of politics" in the country, blaming self-interests of political parties for the trend.
Mayawati’s reaction came a day after she appointed her nephew Akash Anand party’s national convenor once again in Delhi on Thursday.
While taking to microblogging site X, the BSP chief urged all political parties to work in line with their constitutions and principles to safeguard interests of the poor and the common people.
Mayawati’s post came a day after derogatory remarks were made on the PM. In her post on X, Mayawati said political discourse had gone "toxic and violent" in recent years, especially, during elections, even as the country was facing mounting internal and external challenges.
"It is extremely sad and worrying that, while parties are serving political self-interests, the level of politics is falling in the country," she wrote, adding that parties should act on their principles "in the interest of the nation and crores of poor and common people."
Mayawati also took strong exception to "derogatory, indecent and unparliamentary" remarks being made publicly about people holding high offices in government and non-government institutions, and politics.
She said that such comments tarnish the country's image in the world out there. "In this context, what has recently been seen and heard in Bihar is also a matter of grave concern," she said, without naming anyone.
Mayawati said the BSP, following Dr Ambedkar’s ideology of 'Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay' (welfare and happiness of all), had always been against "poisonous politics" and expected others to refrain from indulging in "cheap politics of forcibly putting each other down."
She further underlined the importance of adhering to the framework laid down by the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar which, she said, guaranteed checks and balances among constitutional institutions.
"By working within their prescribed limits and properly implementing these checks and balances, the situation can certainly be prevented from worsening," added the BSP chief.
Meanwhile the BSP supremo, on Thursday, effected a major reshuffle in the party appointing her nephew Akash Anand as the National Convenor in Delhi. The move is seen as the BSP supremo's bid to revive the party ahead of the 2027 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.
Just three months ago, Akash was made the party’s chief national coordinator. Sources in the party said this post stood abolished. The ambit of the two posts is the same. As national convenor, Akash will be executing the organisational responsibilities of managing party affairs across the country.
BSP supremo Mayawati will be 70 years old in January next year. Appointing Akash Anand to the post of National Convenor is seen by many as the BSP supremo's signal for handing over the party command to her nephew.
Interestingly, Akash Anand has been through a roller-coaster ride in politics since he joined the arena.
Akash, 30, was first appointed the BSP national coordinator following the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and was tasked with handling the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.
However, in May 2024, after being booked for “promoting enmity” during a campaign speech in Sitapur during the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati removed him from the post of party national coordinator as well as her successor.
Akash was, subsequently, reinstated after 47 days both as the national coordinator and Mayawati’s successor, in June last year. In March, this year, Akash was removed as the national coordinator for the second time and was also expelled. There was a turnaround two months later, with Mayawati appointing him as the party’s chief national coordinator.
On Thursday, by appointing Akash the national convenor, Mayawati increased the number of national convenors from three to six.