BSP unit chief quits party

By Our Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW, APRIL 10. The style of functioning of Ms. Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party vice-president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, has once again been questioned by one of her colleagues, Mr. Dayaram Pal, who resigned as the State unit BSP chief and also quit the party over the weekend.

Mr. Pal has cited corruption and highhandedness of Ms. Mayawati as the factors compelling him to resign from the party. Former UP BSP presidents - Mr. Raj Bahadur, Mr. Jang Bahadur Singh Patel and Mr. Bhagwat Pal - had resigned due to Ms. Mayawati's style of functioning.

After resigning from the party Mr. Dayaram Pal said he feared that he could be bodily harmed by Ms. Mayawati's henchmen. Describing Ms. Mayawati as a dictator, he said he was feeling suffocated for some time.

Strangely, Mr. Pal accused Ms. Mayawati of being a ``Manuwadi'' - a description reserved by BSP activists for their political opponents. ``Ms. Mayawati treats her colleagues as slaves.

She makes it impossible for any person with some self-respect to work in the organisation,'' he said.

He alleged that Ms. Mayawati forced him to bring money from wherever possible. When he refused to do so a conspiracy was hatched to squeeze him out of the organisation.

The BSP leaders meanwhile, alleged that Mr. Pal's son was involved in a scandal over receiving a bribe of Rs. 8 lakhs from a party college, Mr. Badre Alam, for getting his son admitted to medical college when the matter was exposed he returned Rs. 2 lakhs through a cheque, photocopies of which have been distributed to mediapersons.

The remaining Rs. 6 lakhs he retained and refused to refund, said former UP Minister and a Mayawati confidante, Mr. R. K. Chaudhary. He added that Mr. Pal had, in fact, been forced to quit and had not resigned on his own.

Mr. Pal was the fourth State unit president of BSP to resign in the five years following serious differences with Ms. Mayawati.

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Section  : Regional
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