Sanjeev Baliyan suggests Mayawati should quit politics

Lashing out at Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati's allegations on expelled party leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui being a 'blackmailer', Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan said the former should take a step back from politics.

Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Baliyan, while referring to the BSP as Mayawati's 'shop," said, "These allegations are very unfortunate. Everybody knows Naseemuddin Siddiqui was deployed by Mayawati to sell party tickets for over ten years. It is time she resigned from politics."

In a recent development within the BSP, the party supremo on Thursday said Siddiqui was made in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh during the assembly election, but she got complaints from people alleging that he was a "blackmailer".

Talking about the tapes that were released by Naseemuddin, Mayawati said they were "doctored".

"If he can record party president's call and tamper it as per convenience then how can he be expected to fulfill responsibilities," she added.

Mayawati also accused Naseemuddin of scaring people for money, adding that he was warned by her many times.

Earlier in the day, coming down heavily on Mayawati, Naseemuddin accused the former of labelling the Muslims as 'traitors' after the debacle in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"After elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati called me to Delhi and asked me why the Muslims did not vote for the BSP? She also said that backward and upper caste also did not vote for us," Siddiqui quoted Mayawati as saying.

Siddiqui said he told Mayawati that "Muslims have voted for the BSP but due to the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance, they got confused and divided. Mayawati disagreed. She abused me and said I was fooling her and said Mussalman dhokhebaaz hain (Muslims are traitors)."

To this regard, Mayawati responded to the allegations saying the Muslim Community had full faith in her and believe that "Mayawati cannot make such statements about them".

The BSP on Wednesday expelled Siddiqui and his son Afzal Siddiqui from the party, following which Siddiqui further alleged that Mayawati had demanded Rs. 50 crore from him for the party and when he failed to do so, he and his son were expelled on false charges.

"The charges were deliberately framed against me and my son. I will expose it all to you. And if I expose everything then there will be an earthquake. But I will not expose all right now," he added.

In a major organisational reshuffle last month, Mayawati ousted Siddiqui as Uttar Pradesh chief and appointed him in-charge of Madhya Pradesh.