Two suspended BSP MLAs in Uttarakhand on Saturday accused its state leadership of distributing tickets for Lok Sabha polls in return for money and indicated they could float a new outfit if they were not welcomed back into the party-fold.
"Tickets are being distributed among weak candidates by the state party chief in exchange for money," BSP MLA from Jhabrera Haridas, who was suspended together with party MLA from Bhagwanpur Surendra Rakesh for "anti-party" activities on Friday, alleged at a joint press conference in Dehradun on Saturday.
Personal favourites are being fielded by the state leadership without taking dedicated party workers into confidence, which is all set to harm the party 's electoral prospects, Surendra Rakesh said. Claiming they enjoyed a mass support base, both the leaders hinted at floating a party of their own if they were not welcomed back into the party-fold. "We will return to the party only if we are welcomed back with due honour. If it does not happen, we will not hesitate to float a party of our own," Haridas, a three-time BSP MLA, said claiming they have a large following.
They also alleged their suspension from the party was thoroughly uncalled for as they had indulged in no anti-party activities. "We attribute our suspension from the party to personal grudges of the state party leadership against us," Rakesh said.
Asked whether they had spoken to BSP supremo Mayawati after their suspension, they said they were still trying. Surendra Rakesh, a two-time BSP MLA, is a member of Harish Rawat's cabinet and Haridas is the BSP legislature party leader. They were suspended from the party on Friday throwing up possibilities of a split in the BSP's state unit. Rakesh and Haridas have been suspended from the party on the directive of Mayawati for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities, Pradesh BSP president Meghraj Jaraware said.
With their suspension, the two will have nothing to do with BSP's programmes or activities, he said adding state assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and Chief Minister Harish Rawat have been informed of the development. Party sources said the two leaders are unhappy with Jaraware these days over the manner in which tickets have been distributed.
Both of them (Surendra Rakesh and Haridas) have been accusing Jaraware of fielding week candidates whereas the Pradesh BSP chief has been accusing them of letting him down. BSP, which supports the Congress-led coalition government in the state, has three MLAs including Rakesh and Haridas. Sarbat Karim Ansari is the third BSP member in the state assembly.
BSP has so far announced its candidates from four out of the fiva Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand including Haridwar (Haji Mohammad Islam), Nainital (Laik Ahmed) Tehri (Chaudhry Sheeshpal Singh) and Pauri (Dheer Singh Bisht). The party is yet to declare its nominee from Almora seat.
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