Expelled Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui floated a new outfit called the Rashtriya Bahujan Morcha on Saturday.
While Mr. Siddiqui is the convenor of the front, Brahma Swarup Sagar and O. P. Singh are the co-convenors.
Mr. Siddiqui and his supporters decided to float the new outfit at a time when there was a “concerted move by vested interests to serve their personal motives,” stated a release issued by the Morcha, adding that the outfit would work towards providing a new political alternative.
“It would work towards providing political and social representation to all sections of society, and establishing amity and brotherhood,” the release said.
When contacted, Mr. Singh said more people from the BSP are expected to join the outfit soon. A public contact programme would also be launched for the party in future, he added.
Mr. Siddiqui, the Muslim face of the BSP, was expelled from the party on May 10 for “anti-party” activities, prompting him to hit back at BSP supremo Mayawati.
He came out with audio tapes of his alleged conversation with the BSP chief to support the allegation that he was asked for money. “Whatever charges have been levelled against me, applies to her [Ms. Mayawati]. I can prove it with evidence,” he had said.
Mr. Siddiqui claimed to have over 150 audio clippings of Ms. Mayawati but desisted from releasing them saying he would strike back only when the BSP initiated the attack.
He had also held Ms. Mayawati’s “wrong policies” responsible for the BSP’s poor performance in the 2009, 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 2012, 2017 UP Assembly polls.
He alleged that the BSP chief had levelled “false and misleading” allegations against Muslims and also made objectionable comments against them, especially during the 2017 elections. Mr. Siddiqui alleged that Ms. Mayawati had used abusive language against the upper castes, the backwards classes and the Muslims.
Mr. Siddiqui, who hails from Banda, was removed as party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh and was appointed as the MP unit in-charge after the Assembly poll debacle.
