Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday resigned from her Rajya Sabha membership charging that she was “not allowed” to speak in the Upper House on Dalit atrocities.
Hours after her dramatic announcement during Zero Hour, Mayawati met Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari and “submitted her resignation in person”. Officials said the three-page resignation will be “duly examined”. It is to be seen whether it would be accepted as rules do not allow MPs to cite reasons.
In her letter, she accused Deputy Chairman P J Kurien of not allowing her to complete her speech. Mayawati also claimed that he did not make any effort to check shouting and sloganeering BJP MPs.
“I have decided if I cannot put forth my views in Parliament about a section of people with whom I am working, I should resign,” she told reporters, a view which she echoed in her letter. Invoking B R Ambedkar, who stepped down as Law Minister after he could not put forth his views in Parliament on Hindu Code Bill, Mayawati accused the BJP-led government of misleading Dalits in the name of the “Father of Constitution”.
Published 18 July 2017, 20:19 IST