Kanshi Ram's family accuses Mayawati of usurping party

Lucknow: The family of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder, late Kanshi Ram, have said that they will support anyone who can defeat Mayawati in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Kanshi Ram's younger sister and nephew have accused Mayawati of having usurped the party for her family members.

The two are in Lucknow to attend a programme organised on the occasion of Constitution Day on Friday by former MLA Savitribai Phule.

"Mayawati is anti-Constitution and has finished the party which Kanshi Ram ji had set up. She has turned the party into a family enterprise and can do nothing for the poor," said Swarn Kaur, Kanshi Ram's sister.

Swarn Kaur, who heads the Kanshi Ram Foundation, said that the family has no affiliation with any political party.

Her nephew Lakhbir Singh said that they visited the Kanshi Ram Memorial in Lucknow on Thursday and were upset to see Mayawati's statue along with that of the BSP founder.

"She has hijacked the party and made it a private limited firm. In UP elections, we will support anyone who can defeat BSP. We will also campaign against BSP in Punjab, where it is contesting elections in alliance with Akali Dal," he said.