Mayawati expels Naseemuddin Siddiqui and his son from BSP

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) General Secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui and his son Afzal were on Wednesday expelled from the party for anti-party activities.

Announcing their expulsion, BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra told reporters that "both Naseemuddin and his son were actively involved in the anti-party activities and BSP Supremo Mayawati has decided to expel them from the party with immediate effect."

Mishra also charged Naseemuddin and his son with hobnobbing with rivals and extorting money from ticket-seekers. "The party had also received several complaints against Naseemuddin and his son of extorting money from several ticket-seekers," he added.

Recently, Mayawati had removed him as Uttar Pradesh In-charge and had sent him to Madhya Pradesh.

Once a close associate of Mayawati and BSP's Muslim face, Naseemuddin was inducted into the party by BSP founder Kanshi Ram. A constable in UP Police, he won in 1991 assembly polls but lost in 1993. In 1995, he became the Cabinet minister and since then he had remained in good books of Mayawati.

With the removal of Naseemuddin, Mayawati's brother and party vice-president Anand Kumar has become the number two in the party, after Mayawati.