BSP chief Mayawati today sacked newly-appointed party vice-president Jai Prakash Singh, a day after the latter said Congress president Rahul Gandhi could never succeed in Indian politics because his mother was a foreigner.
Mayawati said she took Singh's "personal views" against the leadership of a rival political party very seriously and was removing him as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national vice-president with immediate effect.
At a meeting of BSP workers here yesterday, Singh had said if Rahul Gandhi was like his father (former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi), there was some hope. However, he had followed the footsteps of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who was a foreigner, and would therefore, never succeed in Indian politics, the BSP leader had added.
Singh, who hails from western Uttar Pradesh, was appointed as the BSP vice-president in May.
Mayawati said Singh's remarks reflected his personal opinion and were against the party's culture.
"I came to know that yesterday, he (Singh) made a statement against the top national leadership of a rival party, thereby deviating from the policies of the BSP," she said in a statement.
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Distancing herself from Singh's comment, Mayawati noted that he had said a number of "unrestrained things, which is completely against the culture of the BSP".
"Taking this very seriously and in the interest of the party and the BSP movement, our party, which had recently appointed Jai Prakash Singh as the national vice-president, has, with immediate effect, removed him from the post," she said.
Singh was also removed as the BSP national coordinator, the statement added.
Issuing a stern warning to the workers, office-bearers and leaders of the party, Mayawati said, "At every meeting, cadre camp and public meeting, one should put forward information about the ideology, policies and movement of the BSP, besides the struggle and principles of eminent personalities belonging to the Dalit community and backward castes.
"However, indecent language should not be used against eminent personalities of other parties. In other words, the party workers should not follow the footprints of some madcaps and should not use unrestrained language."
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said that until an electoral alliance was announced by the party in any state, the BSP workers should not comment on it, adding, "In other words, the workers should leave these things to the party high-command."