MP Danish Ali, who was abused in LS, suspended by BSP; he reacts
The move comes a day after Ali walked out of Lok Sabha proceedings along with other Opposition members to protest against the government's motion to expel Mahua Moitra.
BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali protests on the first day of the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on Monday, December 4. Photo: PTI
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday (December 9) suspended its Lok Sabha member Kunwar Danish Ali for "anti-party" activities.
In a brief statement, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit said, Ali, MP from Amroha, has been suspended for anti-party activities.
The move comes a day after Ali walked out of Lok Sabha proceedings along with other Opposition members on Friday to protest against the government's motion to expel TMC member Mahua Moitra for "unethical conduct". Other BSP members remained seated in the House.
Ali has been actively joining opposition ranks in attacking the BJP and its policies even though the Mayawati-led BSP has maintained a distance from the ruling alliance as well as the opposition.
Satish Chandra Misra, the party's general secretary, said in a letter to Ali, "You were told verbally many times that you should not make any statement or take any action against the policies, ideology and discipline of the party, but despite this you have been continuously acting against the party." Misra reminded Ali that he was a member of HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular) till 2018.
"... on the request of Deve Gowda, you were given a ticket from Amroha as a candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party and before giving this ticket, Gowda had given an assurance that you will always follow all the policies and instructions of the Bahujan Samaj Party and will work in the interest of the party," the letter read.
The party charged him with forgetting the assurances he had given and indulging in anti-party activities.
"Therefore, now, in the interest of the party, you are suspended from the membership of the Bahujan Samaj Party with immediate effect," the letter in Hindi said.
Ali's reaction
Reacting to his suspension, Ali said he had not done any anti-party work, and was raising his voice against "looting" and would continue to do so.
"I have also raised my voice against looting and will continue to do so. Because this is true public service. If doing this is a crime, then I have committed this crime, and I am ready to face the punishment for it. I want to assure the people of Amroha that I will always be at your service," he wrote in Hindi in a post on his X (Twitter) account.
"I have diligently tried to strengthen BSP and has never done any kind of anti-party work. The people of my Amroha area are witness to this. I have definitely opposed the anti-people policies of the BJP government and will continue to do so.
"I will always be grateful to sister Mayawati ji that she helped me become a member of the Lok Sabha by giving me BSP ticket. Sister also made me the leader of BSP parliamentary party. I always received his immense love and support. Her decision today is unfortunate."
Ali has been a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi government. He was abused on the floor of the Lok Sabha by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri during the recent special session of Parliament.
As a member of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, Ali had also been extremely critical of the way the panel chairman Vijay Sonkar conducted the inquiry against Moitra.
The panel, while recommending Moitra's expulsion from the Lok Sabha in the alleged 'cash-for-query' case on Friday had also recommended that the House should admonish Ali for "twisting" the intent of the questions put by Sonkar to Moitra during the inquiry.
On Friday, he hung a placard 'Don't turn victim into culprit' around his neck, outside the Parliament to demand justice for Moitra. "If you have a brute majority, that doesn't mean you will expel the MPs from the Opposition parties," he said.