Lucknow: Expelled Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui on Thursday said that her party supremo Mayawati had insulted Muslims after her party's crushing defeat in assembly polls and that he and his son were expelled on false charges. Hours later, Mayawati hit back and called him a big blackmailer.
Addressing a press conference in state capital Lucknow, Siddiqui said, ''Me and my son have been expelled from the party on false allegations.''
Naseemuddin Siddiqui, the former no. 2 in the BSP, said that Mayawati had insulted him after party's humiliating defeat in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections in which the Samajwadi Party was ousted out of power.
After the elections, Mayawati ji had summoned me to explain the causes of BSP's defeat in the assembly polls. She asked me why Muslim voters ditched the party during the polls, he told reporters.
Siddiqui further alleged that a furious Mayawati then used objectionable words against Muslims.
Mayawati also said that bearded men are dogs, traitors, Siddiqui claimed.
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.
Siddiqui also accused senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra of playing a role hatching in his expulsion from the party.
There will be an earthquake if I expose Mayawati and BSP's secrets. I will reveal them slowly but surely, he added.
During the press conference, Siddiqui also played a purported audio tape of his telephonic conversation with BSP chief Mayawati is which was the latter can be heard saying objectionable things against Muslims.
The reactions from Siddiqui came days after he was expelled from the BSP over allegations of amassing huge illegal properties and seeking undue favours from people misusing his proximity with BSP chief Mayawati.
Announcing on Wednesday that Siddiqui and his son Afzal were being expelled, senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra had said that they had amassed a large number of benami or undeclared properties, ran illegal slaughter houses and took money from people promising favours once the BSP returned to power in UP.
When the party failed to win people demanded that their money be returned, Mishra said and "Siddiqui tried to dispose of his benami properties, but told everyone that he was doing so because the party is demanding money from him."
Siddiqui, however, denied all charges and said that he is deeply hurt by what he called the BSP's "totally false and baseless" allegations.
Interestingly, Naseemuddin Siddiqui has been one of the most prominent faces of the BSP for years and a former top UP minister. He was second only to Mayawati as a star campaigner of the party in this year's UP election.
Only Siddiqui and Mishra were allowed to use helicopters to campaign by Mayawati. His mandate was to consolidate a Dalit-Muslim vote strategy for the party and he ensured that several Muslim clerics, including the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid made vote appeals for the BSP.
Mayawati had won the 2007 UP elections, her last big win, by creating a rainbow coalition of Dalits-Upper castes, Muslims and even backward caste voters.
